Only Black in Name
by HatefulRodeo
Summary: Swallowing reflexively, Regulus grasped the locket and shoved it into his robes, before he called out in a croaked voice for Kreacher. The aged elf popped in without a problem, quickly the loyal elf grabbed his master and with another pop they were gone. Marauder Era, Yaoi; pairing is Severus/Regulus, OOC and A/U. My take on the way things might have gone if Regulus lived.
1. Chapter 1

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: A/U, OOC, Yaoi and the story takes place in the Marauder era during the December of 1979. Regulus is eighteen years old in this fic and he took the Dark Mark at sixteen. Severus is nineteen and is a Death Eater as well. Also, Severus loves Lily like a sister in this fic so no heartsick Sev for us but Lily still dislikes him for calling her a mud-blood.. Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

**_~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 1*~*~*~*~*~*_**

Regulus gasped in absolute agony, the potion was writhing and tearing into his gut. The only thing he could think to do was drag himself toward the eerie green hued water and drink; the Black heir knew this had to be the Dark Lord's plan. Regulus knew in his pain hazed mind that as soon as he touched the water the Inferi lying in wait would surge up and come for him.

He found he didn't care at the moment, getting the pain to subside was the only thing clearly present in his mind. Plunging his hand in the water he formed a cup and brought it back out and gulped the cool liquid greedily. The young man only had a moment to enjoy the feeling of the water sliding down his throat before a decayed hand reached for him.

The hand was now attached to the arm and upper torso of a decomposed reanimated corpse, and more were coming out of the deep lake in the cave. Regulus was frozen but the water was slowly helping his mind clear; when he came here he was resigned to die but now that his imminent death was staring directly at him in the form of a dozen corpses he wasn't so inclined to die.

Swallowing reflexively, he grasped the locket and shoved it into his robes, before he called out in a croaked voice for Kreacher. The aged elf popped in without a problem, quickly the loyal elf grabbed his master and with another pop they were gone. They reappeared in Regulus' bedroom at Number Twelve but the young man knew he would die if he didn't get help right away.

He knew there was only one man who could assist him. That man was Severus Snape; Death Eater, Potions Apprentice and Regulus' still beloved ex-lover. Blinking his tired eyes to focus himself; the young raven turned grey eyes to Kreacher and crooked out one more set of instructions; "Kreacher, take me to Severus Snape at Spinner's End. Tell him what the potion I drank does to you. Help him in any way you can."

With his message conveyed Regulus lost consciousness and drifted off into comforting blackness.

* * *

The Black heir awoke in pain but it was bearable, nothing in comparison to what he endured in that cursed cave. The cave! It all came back to him, the chugging of the disgusting potion, the switch with the faux locket and the pain, the absolute pain, he felt. But he was alright now; Kreacher had come and rescued him and brought him to Severus'.

Taking a deep calming breath, wincing when his chest tightened, Regulus began patting down his robes and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the heavy locket still in the inside pocket of his robe. Now that he wasn't out of his mind in agony he noticed the thing pulsed with dark and disturbing magic.

Regulus himself dabbled in the Dark Arts, he was a Black after all, but the energy radiating off the locket Horcrux was positively depraved. He had figured out his Lord's secret quite a few months ago; mostly thanks to Lucius big mouth, the experience Kreacher endured a week ago and his own intelligence.

He also knew he had to destroy the damnable thing and help put an end to his now former Lord. At one point Regulus thought being a Death Eater would help make their world better. That by serving his Lord they would bring back the Old Ways and stop the erosion of their traditions. He was blind and naive but now he saw what his Lord truly was; a murderer, a madman, someone who took pleasure from others pain.

Regulus was a Black, he had his pride and he would not follow a sadistic snake faced bastard. Not anymore, to hell with what his mother wanted. He would like to see her stand before the torturer and bow to him. A brusque laugh poured from his dry lips at the thought of Walburga Black bowing to anyone.

She was such a horrid woman to both him and Sirius. Contrary to popular belief he didn't hate his brother for leaving. After a while he began to understand why Sirius had to leave; their mother was making his older brother's life a living hell, shooting hexes and cruel words at Sirius at every turn.

Walburga never really loved Regulus, to her he was a second spare son; he knew that now. She merely transferred all her hopes and views onto him once Sirius left the family. His mother looked at him and saw a perfect heir, not taking into account that Regulus may not want to be a Death Eater or want to marry some highbrow pureblood bint.

But when Sirius left he was still young and so hurt by his brother's abandonment that Walburga took advantage of his weakened state and twisted him to suit her needs and wants. He understood that now and that was why he felt no guilt for his treachery toward his former Lord or sadness at going against what his mother would have wanted him to do.

From this point on Regulus would live for himself, not for some insane woman who happened to bear him. His father was dead and if he was still alive Regulus doubted the man would have been much help. His father, Orion Black, spent as much time away from his wife as possible, often leaving for weeks at a time for some business trip or another.

Regulus knew his father just wanted to get away from the poison that was Walburga Black. While Orion Black was no prize as a father he did at least care for his sons and wanted them to at least enjoy living but the man always caved to Walburga's whims, probably to shut her up. Unfortunately, this often left his sons to deal with their unstable mother all alone.

The two brothers still sported the scars from their dear mother's displeasure. The creak of the bedroom door opening brought Regulus' grey eyes to the door and the sight of Severus Snape entering the room. The man looked exhausted and haggard but to Regulus' eyes the man still looked gorgeous.

The potions apprentice sat down on the chair near the small bed and gave Regulus a hard look; "May I ask what you have been up to? After all you show up at my home at three in the morning with a house elf and on the verge of death; I think I deserve some form of an explanation."

The Black heir looked at the ceiling, deciding how much he trusted Severus. In the end he resigned himself to tell his former lover everything, hoping the taller man wouldn't give him over to the Dark Lord for treason; "I recently found out some information about our Lord. It was disturbing to say the least and I knew I needed to destroy it so the monster would be closer to death."

Regulus' throat itched and sent him into a small coughing fit, a glass being pressed to his lips was a blessing. Drinking the cool liquid down quickly, he sighed in pleasure when the glass was removed; "Thank you, Severus. As I was saying I went last night to do something that enable our Lord's destruction."

Severus sat silent, eyes slightly wide, as he processed Regulus' words; "You want to destroy our Lord?" The grey eyed male nodded; "He's a monster Severus, you know this to be true. Tell me will you turn me in and let him torture me, kill me? If so please tell me now. I'll leave and you will never see me again."

The older man shook his head while pinching the bridge of his prominent nose. Regulus could see that the man was waging a private arguement inside his own head, apparently he decided to trust in Regulus; "No, Regulus I am not going to turn you over. Since this is a time for being honest I can confess that I am to becoming tired of our Lord's hateful rhetoric and baseless cruelty. I did not sign up to torture muggles for sport. I wanted to make a change not murder innocent people for fun."

Regulus nodded to show his agreement and support for his ex-lover's words; "Now Regulus what did you discover about our Lord that was so disturbing that you had to risk your life to destroy it?" The smaller raven bit his lip and organized his thoughts; his mind was still a bit foggy from his life theatening ordeal earlier.

"I discovered that the snake faced madman made Horcruxes, yes plural Severus, to ensure he would remain alive even if his body dies. It does explain why he looks so inhuman and is teetering constantly on the verge of eternal madness. Anyway, I first got the idea from Lucius; you know how he brags endlessly about his position with our former Lord."

"Well the idiot mentioned something about a diary that contained a piece of our Lord; that the book was sentient. Well that got me to thinking as I have never heard of anything spell wise that could do that. So I dug around a bit in the Black library and found the information about Horcruxes; it was the only thing that made sense and explained the things this diary could do."

"What I found out about Horcruxes was disgusting Sev, totally disgusting. You have to split your soul and to do that you have to commit cold blooded murder. Once the soul is split you rip the broken piece from your body and entomb it in an object. Our Lord used a diary and a locket to my knowledge but he could have made more."

Taking a breath Regulus glanced over to Severus and if the situation wasn't so dire he would have laughed at the look on the older man's face; gaping like a fish was the most appropriate description.

Figuring it was best just to continue as Severus didn't look like he could produce a coherent thought at the moment Regulus went on; "A week ago he summoned me and asked to use my elf. I didn't deny him but before I sent Kreacher to him I told the him to follow our Lord's orders but once our Lord left he was to come back to me."

"Well Kreacher did just that and told me all about the cave he was taken to and the potion he was forced to drink. I knew once I heard about the locket that it was another Horcrux and I needed to destroy it. I resigned myself to die and instructed Kreacher to come for the locket in the morning."

"I knew I would be dead by then but when my death was staring me in the face I couldn't go through with it. I wanted to live, damn it. I have had so much taken from me, so much decided for me. I want a normal life with the person I love, the one I had to give up to satisfy my mother's insanity."

Here he heard Severus gasp, turning Regulus focused determined grey orbs onto the older's onyx eyes; "Yes, Severus that person is still you, always will be you. That is if you still want me after what I've done." The taller man stayed perfectly still for a moment before a small sweet smile broke out on his chiseled face; "I do still want you. How couldn't I? But we need to get some things done before we can both live happily ever after."

Regulus chuckled at his returned lover's maudlin remark. Reaching forward he snatched one of Severus' hands and help it tight before settling more comfortably on the bed. Once settled the Black heir cocked a sculpted eyebrow, letting his lover know he was ready to begin plotting.

**_Next chapter we will have plotting! Mwahaha but anyway this site doesn't have enough Sev/Reg for my tastes. I hope you enjoyed it!_**

**_Also, this fic will probably have three parts so stay tuned lovelies._**

**_All Mistakes Are My Own!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Well we have more plot and a little slash this chapter! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_"I knew I would be dead by then but when my death was staring me in the face I couldn't go through with it. I wanted to live, damn it. I have had so much taken from me, so much decided for me. I want a normal life with the person I love, the one I had to give up to satisfy my mother's insanity."_

_Here he heard Severus gasp, turning Regulus focused determined grey orbs onto the older's onyx eyes; "Yes, Severus that person is still you, always will be you. That is if you still want me after what I've done." The taller man stayed perfectly still for a moment before a small sweet smile broke out on his chiseled face; "I do still want you. How couldn't I? But we need to get some things done before we can move live happily ever after."_

_Regulus chuckled at his returned lover's maudlin remark. Reaching forward he snatched one of Severus' hands and help it tight before settling more comfortably on the bed. Once settled the Black heir cocked a sculpted eyebrow, letting his lover know he was ready to begin plotting._

**_~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 2*~*~*~*~*~*_**

Severus leaned forward and began to detail what he believed they should do at this point; "Well Regulus, the way I see it is we have to first figure out a way to destroy a Horcrux. Did the book you mentioned explain anything about their destruction?" The smaller male shook his head in the negative; "No, it merely said it needed to be something extremely powerful and potent."

Severus grimaced in irritation; "That is no help whatsoever! Alright we'll have to research this and see what we can come up with. In the mean time we should look into securing our safety. You and I are now working against our Lord and we have to make sure we will be protected should the madman actually fall. I have no desire to be locked up in Azkaban, even with you as my cellmate."

Regulus laughed lightly at Severus' snarky comment; "Indeed, love. As much as spending eternity with you in small room with little interruptions appeals to me I would rather not have the constant presence of Dementors to entertain us." Severus just rolled his eyes and squeezed Regulus' hand, letting the younger know now was not the time for too much joking.

The Black Heir rolled his grey eyes and let his face take on a more serious expression; "Alright, I agree with you. We have to figure out how to destroy the locket and when we do maybe we can smuggle out and destroy the Horcrux Lucius has. As for securing our freedom we can't go to the Ministry. Those idiots will interrogate us mercilessly and then lock us up without a thought."

"I think Dumbledore would be our only option at this time. He can provide us shelter and immunity if that snake face ever meets his end." Here Severus' face pinched up in dislike of the old Headmaster. Regulus just squeezed his hand to break the other out of his darker thoughts; "I know you don't like the man Severus, I'm not too fond of the old coot either. But he powerful and has enough pull to keep our arses out of Azkaban."

"Also, the man has been around for a long time. He's seen, read and heard a lot more than we have in his years so maybe he knows how to kill a Horcrux. I don't want to tell him about the Horcruxes up front but if our research on how to destroy them doesn't go well we may have to look into getting some help. In the end I want our former Lord's soul carriers gone so someone can kill the snake."

Severus nodded, grudgingly in acceptance; they both knew this would be the best way to make sure they survived the war; "So let me get this straight, for now we will research the destruction of Horcruxes on our own and if we don't find a way to in let's say a month we will go to Dumbledore for assistance in the matter."

"In the meantime we should get your finances in order. Regulus you are still the Black heir and with that title you still have access to your vaults. I suggest you writing to Gringotts and setting up your own vault, separate from you family, and transfer as much money over to it as possible without Walburga noticing."

Regulus snorted in amusement; "Walburga won't notice anything; she would never deign to speak to goblins. It was always my father and then me who dealt with Gringotts and in doing so I have an excellent relationship with our vault manager, Ironcaw. They'll do as I ask with no questions and of course will continue to send me the monthly vault statements and any other financial information."

Severus smirked in delight; he despised Walburga Black with an intensity unrivalled even by her sons. Walburga was the one who threatened to disown a newly turned seventeen year old Regulus if he didn't stop his relationship with a half-blood mongrel; half-blood mongrel was the bitch's nickname for Severus and those like him.

The potions apprentice was still a little sore that Regulus had listened to her but he could forgive his smaller lover for it. It is always easy to say you would do anything for the one you loved but when the choice of your lover or your family is in front of you it is much harder to walk away from your family then one thinks.

Severus would forgive Regulus for his poor choice as the man was here now, planning to take down their former Lord with him and steal from his own mother. If that didn't say that the Black heir was serious about them he didn't know what would.

The grey eyed male shifted and began to speak again; "So when should we go to Dumbledore and beg for asylum? Mind we won't tell him anything about the Horcruxes yet. The old codger will only be a last resort for us in regards to them."

Severus looked thoughtful for a moment; "You will need strict rest for day or so but that's okay. It's Yule in a day's time so I doubt Dumbledore will be around to speak with us. Not mention our meeting with the man must be well planned and in secret. We both know the Order has a spy for our Lord within it, we just don't know who it is."

Regulus bit his lower lip; "But I think there are a few people we can trust to know about our change in sides. Now don't interrupt Severus, I know you hate them, but my brother, Potter and his muggle-born wife are trustworthy. You know they'd rather chew off their own hand then assist the Dark Lord in anyway."

The taller male nodded but looked quite pained; Regulus knew his lover hated his brother and James Potter with everything he had. Those two had made Severus' life a living hell for so many years and it seemed it was for no apparent reason; well not that Regulus could ever figure out a good reason for their tormenting Severus. So what if the man was in Slytherin. So was Regulus and James and Sirius had never bothered him too much.

Did it really matter so much to the two Marauders that Lily was friends with Severus? They were only friends as Severus was gay and Regulus could happily attest to that fact. Was James Potter that insecure that he couldn't stand that his little muggle-born obsession was friendly with another male?

It was pathetic; all the reasons why they picked on Severus were pathetic and Regulus was embarrassed that one of his lover's tormentors was his very own brother. But right now both of them would have to put their dislike in Regulus' case and utter loathing in Severus' behind them for the time being.

The Black heir may not hate his brother but he was disappointed in the way he treated his lover and he would not stand for Sirius to treat Severus in such a way anymore. If it came down to a duel then Regulus would stand proud in defense of his love.

However, it was unlikely that this would happen. The potions apprentice would probably have kittens if Regulus defended his honor like some damsel in distress. Just the thought of Severus needing to be protected like a woman made the younger laugh a bit, earning him a raised eyebrow in question from his lover; "Sorry, I was just thinking of something but I want you to know I won't allow Sirius or anyone else to treat you badly anymore."

The taller raven just rolled his eyes and moved onto another topic; "Now we have a plan for the Horcruxes as well as a backup plan if we should fail to find a way to destroy them. You will write Gringotts today and set up what needs to be done for you to be financially alright just in case your mother finds out about your change in view."

"Also, when you write Gringotts see if there is an empty property available, preferably one that no one would think to look for us in. Many Death Eaters know I live here in Spinner's End and I don't want them to stumble on us at an inopportune time and if I change my wards it will set off alarm bells with our former allies."

"When you find the property, and as long as it's not an ancestral home, we can transfer ownership to my name so you mother cannot find it any longer. Once it is transferred we can ward it to the teeth and make sure no one but us knows where it is and how to get there." Regulus nodded in agreement to his lover's plan. The younger took out his wand and summoned a piece of parchment along with a quill and ink. It wouldn't do to dally now, not when there was so much to do.

When he was done with his missive to Gringotts he called for Kreacher. Once again the faithful house elf popped into the room; "Master Regulus calls for Kreacher." The Black heir smiled at the little elf; "I did. Kreacher I need you to take this letter to Ironcaw and once that is done bring me the copy of _Magic Most Evil_ from the Black library. Do not tell my mother where I am or what I am doing."

The loyal aged elf bowed and popped away with Regulus' letter. Severus sneered; "_Magic Most Evil?_ Really? That's the book you found the passage about Horcruxes in?" Regulus snorted; "Yes Severus it was. Is it my fault they didn't come up with a better, more creative name for it?"

The taller man just shrugged and went back to his thoughts. Regulus was being swept away in his own mind, swarming with questions and thoughts. Was this really happening? Was he really turning against his Lord and actively working against him? He was about to steal and lie to his mother. He had already started his forbidden relationship with his lover back up.

It was surreal but for the first time in a long time Regulus felt like he was dong the right thing. So he may have to work with the altruistic fools known as the Order of the Phoenix and tolerate being spoken about with hate behind his back but it was worth it. It would always be worth it as long as he had Severus with him he would survive.

Blood status meant little to him, it really never had but when you live with Walburga Black you had to dance to her tune or you would have your legs broken. For Salazar's sake he was in love with and would gladly bear a half-blood's spawn. That would really send the pureblood circles into a tizzy; a pureblood heir to an Ancient House marrying and reproducing with not only a half-blood but a man to boot.

Regulus didn't see the big deal really. What did it matter if they were two men or two women? As long as children could be birthed, and thanks to a potion they could, it really shouldn't matter if they have two mothers or two fathers but pureblood society was always behind the times and reluctant to change their ways.

Well Regulus was sick of bowing to their idiotic views and courtesies. He loved a man who happened to be a half-blood. Did it matter that his lover had a horrid abusive muggle as a father? No, it didn't. Severus was powerful, intelligent, loyal and to Regulus he was downright sexy. What more could the Black heir ask for in a partner? Not a bloody thing!

A pop sounding near the foot of the bed brought both of them back to the present. Kreacher bowed and placed the book at the foot of the bed before popping back out; apparently the little elf had other business to attend to. Regulus wasn't really interested though, it was probably something to do with his shrew of a mother.

Severus reached for the book and handed it to Regulus to sift through. While the grey eyed male found the correct page the taller man got up and left the room; only to return a few minutes later with two potions. The Black heir grimaced in distaste when he saw the two vials of liquid; "Do I have to Sev?"

The onyx eyed man just rolled his eyes once again; "Yes, Reg you do. The blue one is for your stomach. The potion almost ate straight through your gut and the red is to flush out any of the potion still in your system; it is unlikely any remains but it is to be safe." The smaller raven pouted but did as he was told and drank the foul liquid.

It was disgusting but apparently necessary. Once Regulus was done Severus banished the vials somewhere, probably the kitchen and sat down on the bed next to him. The Black heir scooted over, letting his lover lay down next to him. When they were both lying down the smaller male rolled onto his side and snuggled into Severus' side, placing his head on the other's firm chest.

Severus for his part wrapped a strong arm around his smaller partner's back, holding him close. Once settled and snuggled Regulus opened the book to the marked page and they both read the section about Horcruxes, during their reading both men looked thoroughly disgusted with what they were reading; it still made Regulus nauseous and he had read it several times before.

Regulus would never get used to reading about the creation of a Horcrux; it was truly wretched and just wrong. Severus looked a bit green when he finished and hugged Regulus closer; "That is disturbing in so many ways. But you're right the details on a Horcruxes destruction are very vague."

"But I have a few ideas. I am a potions apprentice and as such I have access to some very caustic ingredients. Maybe I could cook up something that is strong enough to destroy that thing. I may need some money to buy the ingredients, some may be expensive, can I count on you to loan me the money?"

Regulus just shook his head, an indulgent smile on his pretty face; "Severus, my money is your money. Use what you need, love. I trust you with my life so I think I can trust you with my money besides you have too much pride to take more than was necessary. Oh, do you want me to take care of paying for your mastery?"

The taller male shook his head; "No, for right now let Lucius keep paying for it. If he decides not to continue then I will take you up on the offer." Regulus just hummed to show he heard. "May I see the locket?" The Black heir nodded and fished the thing out of his pocket.

When Severus' hand touched the vile thing he immediately pulled it away with a hiss; "That feels revolting! How can you stand to touch it?" Regulus gave him a bland look; "Sev, I grew up with Walburga Black. I have been around dark objects all my life. Though this is the darkest I have ever felt before. It feels wrong, like it's unnatural and shouldn't even exist."

The taller raven bucked up his resolve and took the cursed locket into his hand, studying it closely. The locket was beautiful; it was gold with emeralds inlaid in the shape of a serpentine 'S' and hung on a sturdy gold chain. After his inspection was done Severus placed it on the bedside table and put small but strong ward around the locket so no one but them could see it or feel it. It wouldn't do for another Death Eater to stumble upon it and figure out what exactly it was; it was unlikely but not impossible.

Once the damn thing was warded Severus lay back down and pulled his little lover to him, placing a chaste kiss to Regulus' plump lips. However, Regulus had other plans, he had been without his lover for too long and he would be damned if he was going to settle for just a simple kiss.

Taking control the smaller raven thrust his tongue into Severus' hot mouth, mapping out the once familiar territory and moaning at the slightly bitter taste of his beloved. Merlin, Severus always tasted so damn good to him and like hell was he going to stop. Eventually, the taller male got over the surprise at his normally submissive partner taking control and began to participate ardently in their heated kiss.

Regulus mewled when Severus' slick tongue came out and began to twin and slide against his own muscle. After a few moments the older man reasserted himself and forced Regulus' tongue back into his own mouth, where the larger male began to explore the younger's cavern. It was so damn good but like all things it had to end. They parted reluctantly, both gasping for breath and flushed. It was amazing to think that a kiss could push them this far into sexual euphoria.

Severus recovered first, pushing the smaller male onto his back and moving on top of Regulus' body, slipping further down until he was in between the younger's spread legs. With a hungry look the older man pulled down the other's pants and underwear in one movement and tossed them onto the floor somewhere; Regulus couldn't really care he would find them later.

When his lower body was exposed to that heated onyx gaze the grey eyed male shuddered and thrust his hardening cock forward, begging Severus for release. The taller man chuckled; "Impatient are we?" Regulus threw his pride out the window and babbled out his need; "Severus please...it's been too long, so long without you."

With a satisfied smirk the older man took Regulus' erection into his mouth, sucking lightly on the head of the smaller male's cock while swirling that talented tongue around the sensitive slit. The younger was in ecstasy and began to shallowly thrust his member into his lover's waiting mouth, wanting the man to take more of his rigid length into his orifice.

Severus obliged his lover and sunk lower onto his begging cock, switching between sucking and licking the underside of Regulus' swollen length. Moan and words of encouragement poured out of the younger's mouth as the pleasure mounted inside of his sensitive body.

Regulus knew his orgasm was coming, he could feel the pressure building and tickling inside of him. Severus picked up his pace, bobbing his head quickly while sucking on the cock in his mouth. Swallowing the pre-cum down in hungry gulps and groaning at the once again familiar taste of Regulus. The Black heir was writhing now, pumping himself into his love's mouth with reckless abandon.

His balls were tightening up and resting against his sweaty body in preparation for his imminent orgasm. Regulus' release was hoarding over him and he couldn't hold out for much longer, as much as he wanted to last he couldn't. When Severus brought his hand up and stroked the sensitive skin behind his testicles Regulus arched and screamed his lover's name to the ceiling.

His orgasm finally fell on his, crushing him in its intensity as his slim hips stuttered and his cock jerked. Severus sucked greedily, ingesting everything the younger man had to give. Regulus felt boneless and sleepy after his mind-blowing orgasm but he reawakened when he felt Severus shift and the other's still hard cock brushed against his leg.

Leaning forward the Black heir latched into his love's arm and tugged him upward and next to him. The older was now kneeling next to Regulus' head and the younger could see the defined outline of Severus' straining cock through his tight black pants. Feeling rather bold the smaller male unclasped his lover's pants, reached inside and pulled his partner's erection out of its confines.

He felt satisfied when he heard Severus loudly groan when his cock was allowed to spring free from its clothed prison. Regulus shifted onto his side and brought his face up to imposing length that was his lover's erection. Without another thought he licked from base to tip, swirled his tongue around the leaking cock head before repeating the motion several times.

Severus was breathing hard, groaning and growling loudly, his handsome face flushed as the pre-cum leaked steadily from the slit. Regulus felt immensely pleased with himself. Severus was a hard man to unsettle and here said man was panting and making noises like a Knockturn Alley whore and it was all from and for Regulus.

Emboldened by his lover's response Regulus took the large cock into his mouth and sunk onto the length until the mushroom head hit the back of his throat. The younger male suppressed his gag reflex and took his lover fully into his mouth and throat, swallowing reflexively around the head while his tongue caressed the thick vein on the underside of Severus' cock.

Regulus began a slow pace, enjoying the feeling of his love's thick length inside of his mouth and reveling in the taste of his love's pre-cum. He moaned when Severus' long fingers sunk into his long black hair and grasped the silky strands, holding Regulus' head still as the older began to thrust his hips, fucking his younger lover's mouth.

The Black heir stilled his movements and allowed his mouth to be used. He continued to lick and suck the length being thrust into his mouth, moaning every time he tasted more of his lover's pre-cum on his tongue. Severus' thrust were coming harder and faster and the younger relaxed his mouth and throat completely and let his love chase his orgasm.

A rough voice cut through Regulus' sex hazed mind; "Look at me. I want you to look at me with those pretty eyes while I fuck your mouth." The smaller male shivered, he loved it when Severus talked like that. Obeying his sometimes overly dominant partner Regulus opened his grey orbs, looked up and into the face of the man relentlessly fucking his mouth.

Severus growled low and feral. With one more snap of his hips the elder stilled as his cock exploded in Regulus' mouth, filling his orifice with semen. The younger swallowed as much as he could and moaned around the length in his mouth at the delicious taste of his love's seed.

Regulus continued to lap at his lover's cock, cleaning Severus of any remaining semen and quite enjoying himself in the process, if he was honest with himself. Once Severus began to soften he pulled away and looked back up at his love, with a smile he tugged the large male down to lay with him.

After a few murmured spells from Severus they were cleaned of any remains of their orgasms and completely nude, entwined together. The two lovers settled in for a quick nap and exchanged a few lingering kisses before they both slid off to answer sleep's irresistible call; the thoughts of Horcruxes, insane Dark Lords and Dumbledore escaping them for the moment.

_**Well there we have it folks. Next chapter more plot and a bit more slash! I know I said three parts but it will probably be longer; I don't rush through a fic ever.**_

_**I know the book they found the information on Horcruxes in Magic Most Evil and if I'm wrong will fuck it. I'm going with it!**_

_**All Mistakes Are My Own.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Well we have more plot and more slash this chapter! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_Severus growled low and feral. With one more snap of his hips the elder stilled as his cock exploded in Regulus' mouth, filling his orifice with semen. The younger swallowed as much as he could and moaned around the length in his mouth at the delicious taste of his love's seed._

_Regulus continued to lap at his lover's cock, cleaning Severus of any remaining semen and quite enjoying himself in the process, if he was honest with himself. Once Severus began to soften he pulled away and looked back up at his love, with a smile he tugged the large male down to lay with him._

_After a few murmured spells from Severus they were cleaned of any remains of their orgasms and completely nude, entwined together. The two lovers settled in for a quick nap and exchanged a few lingering kisses before they both slid off to answer sleep's irresistible call; the thoughts of Horcruxes, insane Dark Lords and Dumbledore escaping them for the moment._

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 3*~*~*~*~*~***_

Regulus and Severus adjusted their traveling cloaks, readying to apparate from Spinner's End to Hogwarts; they'd owled Dumbledore two days ago to setup a meeting. The aged Headmaster responded quickly setting up a meeting for tonight. Hopefully, they could iron out any issues and begin spying for the Order and bringing about the end of their insane Lord.

They had expressed the need for discretion in their letter, requesting that only Dumbledore be there. However, they expressed a willingness to accept Sirius' and James' presence if necessary; the old man agreed to meet them with his two lackeys present. Not that the two Marauder's presence at the appointed meeting would deter the two Death Eaters from conducting their business with the old coot. They both wanted this done and finished with by midnight tonight.

Regulus glanced at the clock over the hearth, noting it was already nine thirty; their appointment was for ten pm. They would be apparating into Hogsmeade as no one could apparate into Hogwarts directly; except for Dumbledore and that was only due to the use of his Phoenix familiar, Fawkes. Once they arrived in the little wizarding village they would need to walk the twenty minute journey to the castle on foot.

Moving forward the Black heir pressed a quick kiss to Severus' lips for luck before pulling up his hood and wrapping his arms around the taller man's middle; "Do you want me to apparate us or do you want the honors Severus?" The older male shifted, pulled on his hood and with a quick turn they were gone.

The two males appeared in the side alley next to The Three Broomsticks, quickly they made their way out of the alley and toward Hogwarts. Neither spoke to the other and enjoyed the quiet peace of the night.

Regulus, for his part, was thinking on how much things were going to change after this meeting, if Dumbledore agreed to their request for asylum. Regulus had a feeling the old codger would. Having to high ranking Death Eaters as informants was too good an offer to pass up.

The Black heir had already transferred quite the sum of galleons to his own separate vault; one his mother couldn't touch, and set it up so ten percent of the Black family's investment profits were shifted to his private vault every week; about four hundred galleons worth, quite the good deal if you asked him. His mother would, hopefully, never know that her precious Reggie was swindling her blind; this subterfuge pleased the second Black son immensely.

The couple also selected a home to move to once their little deal was finalized with the Headmaster; a non-ancestral cottage located in The Vosges in France was chosen. The location of the house ideal; it was isolated, placed on a few acres of land, quiet and no one had lived or visited there for over sixty years.

As far as Regulus knew the property was forgotten and unwanted; no doubt his mother would have found it too lowly to visit since it only boasted three bedrooms and two baths with no formal living or dining room. However, a potions lab and large library were housed in the structure.

The isolated and almost unknown location fit his and Severus' needs to the tee and Regulus would be quite happy to sign the deed to the house over to his older lover. At least if anything happened to Regulus Severus would have a home and his private vault to survive on.

That was the one thing the Black heir never told his lover about. Regulus knew if he told Severus he was his sole beneficiary to Regulus' accounts the potions apprentice would have argued with him. He had no desire to fight with his partner so he didn't mention it and if push came to shove he would be dead when Severus found out; it was very hard to argue with a dead man after all.

But knowing his proud lover like he did it wouldn't shock Regulus if the other brought him back from death to hex back again. The sight of the Hogwarts' gates brought the Black male out of his thoughts. He reinforced his Occlumency Shields, knowing Severus was doing the same, and settled in to wait patiently for their guide to find them.

Conveniently the idiot was right on time; Sirius Black wearily approached the high metal gate, surveying the two cloaked figures with hard grey eyes. Regulus let his brother look his fill but Severus lost his patience, in a low hissing voice the potions apprentice bit out; "Done looking Black? Open the damn gate so we can get this over with!"

Sirius stepped back, eyes wide and slightly shocked before he choked out, ever so eloquently; "Snivellus?" The second Black son snorted in derision; "Open the gate Sirius. We have business with the Headmaster and my companion and I do not wish to be late."

The eldest Black brother looked hard at Regulus' cloaked figure but said nothing, though a haze of confusion clouded over his those vigilant grey eyes. Sirius pulled his wand and waved it about in a few complicated sweeps and bows while murmuring lowly in Latin so the two visitors would not here the exact words spoken.

After Sirius finished speaking the gates swung open enough to admit the two Death Eaters. No one spoke as they traversed the Hogwarts grounds and into the castle; Regulus looked around the familiar walls of his old school with a feeling of nostalgia, remembering all the times he and Severus snuck away to spend free time together.

Finally, the unlikely trio came face to face with the Griffin guarding the Headmaster's office. Regulus noticed Severus stiffen slightly, most likely his lover was remembering less than fond memories of being within this very office during his less than stellar school years.

Shaking his head minutely to clear his thoughts Regulus stood straight and when the Griffin shifted after Sirius spoke the password; "Mike and Ike's", stepped onto the rotating stairs.

Once the spiral stairs reached the wooden door they stopped, allowing the three riders to step into the circular and cluttered office. Once inside Severus and Regulus stepped in front of the old man's large desk. Sirius went to stand behind Dumbledore on the right while his best friend James Potter took the left; it seemed the two morons thought the two visitors would hurt their beloved Headmaster.

Regulus always knew the Marauders, especially his brother and Potter, were not the brightest bulbs in the bunch. Didn't they know that Dumbledore would never have agreed to meet with them if he was not sure they were sincere in the wish to abandon the Dark and join the Light?

Of course not. To James Potter and Sirius Black there was only light and dark, black and white; it was a shame they had yet to conclude that their world was murky and cast in varying shades of grey. Regulus had learned these lessons and more in the most disgusting way possible but that was not the point of this little gathering. He had no care at the moment to educate his brother or his moronic friend about the intricacies of life.

The esteemed Headmaster started the meeting in the same old overdone grandfatherly tone he always took with his students, quite annoying if Regulus could say so himself; "Ah my dear boys! How good of you to come. Your letter intrigued me greatly! Now why don't you remove those hoods and have a seat so we can talk properly."

The two hooded males cast glances at each other before reaching up to remove their hoods, both quite enjoyed the gasp of disbelief that came from James and the wide eyed look of shock from Sirius; didn't his sometimes dense brother realize it was Regulus when he had spoken earlier at the gates?

Once again the Black heir had to remind himself that Sirius was not the sharpest knife in the set; "Thank you Headmaster; Severus and I are quite grateful that you consented to see us on such short notice."

The aged man nodded, still smiling benignly; "Think nothing of it Mr. Black. As I said I am most interested in what you have to say. Your letter was vague but it did mention your dissatisfaction with Voldemort, among other things."

Neither Regulus nor Severus flinched when the Headmaster said their Lord's name; they were made of stronger stuff than that. The same could not be said for James and Sirius. The potions apprentice rolled his eyes in exasperation at his two former bullies before he took up the conversation, reaching to hold Regulus' hand in his own.

Regulus allowed it since he knew his lover needed the support and they were both amused at the disgusted looks Sirius and James were sending at their joined hands. "Indeed we are, as you say, dissatisfied with our Lord. The man is not what he portrays himself to be."

"Both Regulus and I joined the Dark Lord to change things, make a change for the better. As you know many of our magic and ancestral rituals have been abolished and many branches of magic banned for no reason other than fear and misconception. Both of us believe in the cause whole heartedly but we do not condone the abuse or the slaughter of innocent people."

"To that effect we have decided to renounce our Lord and spy for the Light so our former Lord can be taken down. However, we want it known we do not agree with your views, we do not and will not be friendly with anyone. You will respect our views and we will respect yours, basically agree to disagree."

Dumbledore nodded, sorting through exactly what Severus said; "I see. Well I am glad you to have decided to turn away from Voldemort's barbarism. The man is quite persuasive when he wants to be but in the end he is ruthless and cruel, even to his own followers." The two Death Eaters nodded, knowing all too well how ruthless and cruel the Dark Lord could be if displeased.

James, of course, could not shut up; "Professor! You can't really believe they will be loyal to you! They're probably trying to infiltrate the Order so they can report back to their precious Lord!" Regulus snorted in amusement; "Why would we need to do that? Our former Lord has already infiltrated your little Order; why do you think we requested that only you, Sirius and Dumbledore be here?"

James and Sirius didn't seem to have an answer and the Headmaster seemed content to let the four young men battle it out. Severus answered Regulus' question, his voice full of venom; "We asked for you three to be here as you three, as despicable and loathsome as I find two of you, are the only ones we trust not to be the traitor within the Order."

The two Marauders looked properly scolded but still held an air of petulance about them, like a child who was just told off by his parent but still thought they hadn't done anything too wrong. Dumbledore cleared his throat; "Yes, yes, you mentioned a spy within my ranks. Tell me do you have any clue as to who it is?" Regulus shook his head; "No, we don't but there are ways to tell."

"You see the Dark Mark is like a beacon, identifying us as brethren to others like us. If Severus and I were to visit one of your meetings when everyone is present we could point out the traitor to you. Or you could always go the Gryffindor route and force everyone to show you their left forearm. Have Moody check them with that eye of his just in case they're glamouring the Mark."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment; "The next meeting I want you two there and ready to identify this spy. When you do signal to me who it is and we will move in to capture them. I want this business wrapped up soon; too much is at stake for any valuable information to make its way to Voldemort."

The two spies agreed but said nothing. They waited for the Headmaster to continue speaking, both knowing the old windbag wasn't done; "Now since you are working with the Light we need to figure out a way to contact you. I believe giving you both notebooks spelled with a Protean Charm would be appropriate."

"When I write anything in my book it will appear in your copy. Your book will glow subtly but only to your eyes; once I give you both the books I will need to do one more spell so the book will only respond to your magical signature. That way no one but you will be able to see it glow, open it or read what is written inside. I know it seems extreme but one can never be too careful in these times."

Regulus acknowledged the old man's words with a nod; "Indeed, when will you be giving us these books? And until then how will we know where and when to arrive for your Order meeting?" The Headmaster answered quickly; "I will have the books ready by the Order meeting and I will owl you with the specifics as soon as they are ironed out."

Severus spoke next; "Owl one missive and address it to both of us; Regulus and I are living together now so it will be easier that way." Sirius choked and James looked green but Dumbledore was beaming at them; "Ah my boys I am pleased the two of you finally saw sense and got back together!"

The second Black son just internally rolled his eyes, wondering how inobservant the Headmaster was? He and Severus had been holding hands for quite a long while. However, Regulus said nothing to that affect and let the Headmaster continue smiling like a loon, eyes twinkling maniacally and all.

Severus for his part stayed silent, face blank and eyes unreadable. The youngest Black almost chuckled, his lover truly was a closed book when he wanted to be but Regulus could see the subtle hint of irritation in those ebony orbs. The potions apprentice hated it when people spoke about things that did not concern them, especially when those things involved Severus himself.

Deciding to move away from this explosive topic Regulus spoke again; "Well then if that is all Severus and I must be going. We have much to do and little time to do it in." Dumbledore looked ready to let them go but Sirius just never knew when to shut up, much like his little friend James Potter; "Regulus you can't mean to live with this greasy bastard! I won't allow it!"

Severus' lips curled away from his teeth, looking quite feral, but Regulus stood and spoke vehemently before his lover had a chance to verbally lash out at his idiotic older brother; "How dare you! You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"You have no right to order me to do anything, not when you abandoned me in that house, leaving me alone with that woman! I may understand why you left and I don't blame you for it but I will never forgive you. You left me there alone and then you turned your back on me once again at school. You, Sirius Orion Black, have as much business telling me what to do as a Werewolf does playing with silver knives."

"So kindly keep your nose out of my business; who I love and want to be with is none of your concern. So kindly keep your words and opinions to yourself and if you ever disrespect me or Severus again I will curse you to the hell and back; don't forget Sirius I was and still am a Death Eater."

"I know spells that would make you piss yourself if I just explained them to you." When Regulus was done chewing out his brother he was breathing hard and glaring at Sirius. The Black heir cocked a sculpted brow almost daring his sibling to say something, to give him a reason to act out on his threat; the eldest Black son said nothing, seemingly cowed for the moment.

Seeing his lover was not relaxing Severus rose from his seat and wrapped a comforting arm around the younger male's slender waist, murmuring words to help his little lover calm down. Regulus knew the taller man was not doing this to irritate his brother or Potter but out of desire for him to stop being upset.

Taking a deep breath the second Black son leaned into his partner's warmth and felt himself calming down but he did not stop glaring at his brother. Severus spoke for them; "Headmaster, Regulus and I must ask that no one knows we are working with the Order until we have found out who the spy is within your group. If it got out that we have turned against our Lord we will be hunted down and killed."

The old man stood and pulled his wand; "I think an oath is in order. All of us will swear not to speak of this meeting to anyone who is not here. It would be quite pointless to not speak of it between ourselves though since we all know what is going on."

"However, we all must use discretion when we do mention this night, Voldemort has ears and eyes everywhere." The four young men nodded, all of them pulling out their wands and taking their turn to swear the Secrecy Oath to Dumbledore.

Once they were finished Severus and Regulus moved to leave the office; no one moved to stop them and the two now former Death Eaters left Hogwarts without an issue. Once they arrived at Hogsmeade they sequestered themselves into a dark alley and apparated back to Spinner's End to begin packing all of Severus' things.

Regulus' possessions would be collected and brought by Kreacher when they arrived at the house in France. Tomorrow the two lovers would be going to Gringotts to finish up transferring the deed over to Severus.

Once done with the goblins they would portkey to the property to begin warding the land and exploring the house; if anything needed to be cleaned or fixed they would see it was done. Maybe acquiring another house elf would not be amiss, Kreacher was old and could only do so much and Regulus didn't want his dear mother to realize something was wrong.

Walburga was a self-involves shrew but even she could be observant and would notice if Kreacher didn't come immediately when called. It was sad that his dear mother would notice the elf missing before she noticed her own son was gone. Pity, but the longer Walburga didn't notice Regulus' departure the better off they would be.

Unfortunately, the Black heir knew he would have to make an appearance at Grimmauld Place every now and then to keep his mother content. Content but not happy and he was only doing that so she didn't disown him and cut him off from the family vaults.

At this point those vaults were the only thing related to the Ancient and Noble House of Black that Regulus wanted to be involved with. Many would think him cold and selfish to feel this way but it was the farthest thing from the truth. He loved what his family used to stand for but over the last few generations the once proud Black family had succumbed to mania and become mired in the misguided beliefs of pureblood supremacy.

Regulus was proud of where he came from, enjoyed worshipping the Old Ways and celebrating the gifts of Mother Magic but he would not allow himself to be brainwashed to believe that just because he was pureblood he was better. Yes, his position in the magical world deserved respect but not if he didn't comport himself in a manner that deserved it.

He was not Lucius Malfoy, flouncing around and demanding the world to kiss his feet just because he was a Malfoy. Regulus was once like that at his worst, when his mother's hold on him was at its strongest.

But he had broken away from that way of behaving once he truly saw what the Dark Lord was all about and actually realized that he looked like an arse demanding everyone to acknowledge him just because he was the Black heir.

Footsteps alerted him to the fact that Severus left the entrance foyer and he was now standing there, staring off into space, looking quite stupid all by himself. Sighing, the young raven took off his traveling cloak and made his way to Severus' potions lab to begin packing up his lover's ingredients, making sure not to damage anything. Some of these ingredients couldn't be shrunk or exposed to sunlight so special arrangements had to be made for their transport to their new home in France.

Regulus noticed his lover enter the lab and begin to pack his utensils and cauldrons. The two ravens fell into an easy rhythm, quietly packing and sorting through the collection of items within the room. The Black heir was glad for the monotony of the work; it soothed him and silenced his mind for the moment.

Two strong arms around his waist alerted him to Severus' welcomed presence; "How are you feeling love?" Regulus merely smiled and turned his head to peck his lover's cheek; "I'm fine, just sorting through it all. Hard to believe that not even a week ago I stole a Horcrux, almost died, would have died actually if it wasn't for you, and now I'm fully healed. Then I reconnect with the love of my life and have turned against the Dark Lord and we're spying for the Light. It's so surreal isn't it?"

A hum was his answer as the taller man began to nuzzle his neck; "Indeed, it is surreal but I'm pleased it all happened and we'll get through this together. If we can't figure out a way to destroy the Horcrux we can always ask the old coot for help, as much as I don't want to."

"But I also wanted to...thank you for standing up for us like that to your obnoxious brother. It meant a lot to me that you would do that for us, that our relationship means that much to you." Regulus shook his head; "Of course I would. I adore you, love you and want to be with you. To hell with anyone who has a problem with it. They can keep their opinions to themselves or they can meet the end of my wand."

A deep chuckle sounded in his ear, making the younger male shiver in delight. Severus always sounded so sexy when he laughed; it always sent Regulus' heart to beating faster and his mouth to water. Leaning back into his lover's warmth the smaller male ground his ass back into the cradle of his partner's hips, enjoying the feeling of the awakening hardness pressing against him.

"Let's go to bed, Reg." The younger merely nodded and let Severus apparate them straight into the older man's large bed. When Regulus' back hit the mattress his lover was already pressing hard kisses to his neck, pulling little gasps of pleasure from the smaller man beneath him.

Regulus was delighted with the attention his partner was paying to him; after tonight they both needed release and a way to escape their new reality for just a few moments. That their escape was pleasurable was just another perk for the two former members of Voldemort's Inner Circle.

The shift of his shirt being pulled away from his slim chest brought Regulus back to the exciting activity he and his lover were indulging in at the moment. Lifting his hands he threaded them in Severus' long raven tresses, pushing the man's mouth harder into the flesh of his neck, wanting the man to suck and nip a bit harder.

The older silently obeyed his wishes and began to lavish Regulus with harder bites and suction, making his way from his lover's delicate neck to his pronounced collar bones. The sensations were delightful for the Black heir and he found he wanted to feel his lover's toned flesh against his.

Removing his smaller hands from Severus hair he moved them to the buttons of his lover's shirt and began to undo them. When the last button was unclasped he pushed the garment off those strong broad shoulders and looked upon his prize. To many people Severus was not attractive but Regulus adored him.

He simply loved all of Severus Tobias Snape. From the top of his silky black head to the bottom of his slender feet. Regulus didn't give a damn if anyone would ever understand why he craved for this man; if they couldn't see it then they were plain blind.

Wanting to worship his lover and show him how much he loved him the smaller male shoved Severus off him and onto his back. The younger man moved to straddle his love's hips, a smug smile playing on Regulus' lips. He made a shushing noise when the elder man was about to speak, Regulus wanted to show his beloved with actions how much he treasured him.

Lowering his head he began to kiss every piece of pale skin he could reach, paying special attention to Severus' erect nipples; lavishing the twin peaks with his tongue and teeth and quite liking the little gasps and groans coming from Severus.

Having paid enough attention to his love's chest he shimmied downward again and undid Severus' pants and tugged them off along with the man's underwear. Unfortunately, they both seemed to still have their boots on, not deterred in the least Regulus slipped off his and his lover's heavy dragon hide boots, letting them drop to the floor with a loud clunk.

Task complete the smaller male went back to stripping his lover, and himself, of their lower garments. When Severus was nude before him Regulus surveyed him with a hungry glint in his grey eyes, licking his lips in anticipation. That look of hunger was reflected right back in Severus' dark eyes.

Wanting to try something new the younger male turned, facing away from his love and re-straddled his partner's hips. He spread his legs wider and leaned forward, exposing his entrance to his lover's eyes.

Two strong hands grasped onto the plump flesh of Regulus' bum and spread his cheeks wider, bearing him furhter to Severus' eyes. Feeling slightly embarrassed but no less wanton the younger male summoned his wand and cast several spells in succession; the first a cleansing charm on his entrance and passage. The second was a lubrication charm for three of his fingers as well as his entrance.

When he felt the cool slick liquid settle on the rim of his rosebud he shuddered in anticipation. He loved the intimate act of stretching his body open for Severus' cock. They very rarely used magic to do it, not unless they didn't have the time to spare and both needed a quick fuck to get them by until later.

Severus' hard cock was now digging into thigh, making small beads of pre-cum leak from Regulus' slit. It was all so erotic to the younger male, shifting a bit he brought his lubed fingers to his hole and massaged the sensitive puckered skin, moaning at the sensations his touch created.

His lover's hands gripped his arse harder, almost painfully but the harsh grip only brought more pleasure to Regulus' body. Slowly, he plunged one of his fingers into his tight passage, gasping at the feeling of being filled after so long; after he and Severus separated he had never touched himself in this way again, it just seemed wrong to him.

He hoped his love was enjoying this little show he was putting in for him. Judging by the way Severus was grinding his equally leaking cock into his thigh was a good indication that he was. No one else would ever see Regulus acting so slutty or untamed, this sight was only for Severus; the man he loved and trusted above all others.

Once his finger was inside him to the knuckle Regulus began to pump the appendage in and out of his body, swirling the finger inside him so it massaged his inner walls, coaxing them to relax and admit more. When he felt his muscles soften a bit he sunk another finger inside, mewling at the feeling of being stretched and began to scissor and twirl them, loosening his body further.

Regulus knew two fingers were not enough to open his body for Severus' large cock but he found he didn't have the patience to wait any longer. Quickly he removed his fingers and wiped them off on the blanket and moved to sit higher on his knees, his back still to Severus.

Reaching behind him Regulus grasped his love's flushed erection and moved it until it nudged the lubed skin of his barely stretched entrance. Severus' hands moved to his slim hips, helping him to remain steady as he sunk slowly onto that wonderfully stiff cock.

He couldn't help the slight grimace of pain that flitted across his face but luckily Severus could not see it. It was a painful but it felt so damn right and Regulus wouldn't stop it for anything. When he felt his lover's pubic hair brushing his arse the younger male stilled and breathed deeply. He rested his hands on his thighs while forcing his body to relax and accept the man he had wanted, and dreamed of, for so long.

Those hands that were once settled on his lithe hips moved to rub soothing circles into his lower back while murmuring soothing words to Regulus. When the smaller man felt his inner muscles relax he began to rock his hips in a circular motion, making the hard flesh inside of him brush his inner walls pleasurably.

Those hands were once again back on his hips, encouraging Regulus to move upward. Letting his older lover dictate his movements he grasped his thighs and once again rose higher onto his knees until only the upper portion of Severus' thick member remained inside of him before he sunk back down, throwing his head back and moaning when that delightfully hard length hit his prostate.

Without much thought Regulus rose once again and slammed back down, howling to the ceiling when that sensitive bundle of nerves was smashed once again. The Black heir set a hard pace and quite enjoyed the torment being inflicted on his prostate on every downward stroke.

Severus was not idle either, every time Regulus sunk down onto his cock he thrust his hips upward, filling his tight lover fully with his length and reveling in the moans, screams and whimpers he was invoking from his smaller partner.

Regulus was no covered in alight sheen of sweat, the muscles in his legs were pulled taught in exertion as he rode his lover into the mattress.

Severus' shifting caught him off guard and his fast rhythm was thrown off. The taller raven sat up, wrapping his arms around Regulus until their chest and back came into contact. The new feeling of his lover's equally sweaty flesh touching his sent another shockwave of pleasure through him.

Leaning back the younger allowed his weight to settle onto his love's strong chest while his hands moved from his thighs to entwine around Severus' neck, holding his partner's head to his shoulder and neck. Taking the invitation the older man began to kiss and suck on the bared flesh before him.

Grinding his arse downward Regulus' eyes rolled back in their sockets when the head of Severus' cock pushed against his prostate, pressing that over sensitive gland maddeningly. A deep chuckle floated into his ear; "You look lovely like this Regulus. I love it when I'm inside you; you're so tight around me. I love you."

The younger man just nodded dumbly before he resumed fucking himself on Severus' cock, not caring that he was whining and moaning like a three sickle whore, he loved being fucked by his lover and made no apologies for enjoying himself.

The older began to roll his hips, shoving his rigid length again and again into that lovely little hole. The taller man savored the sweet noises his little companion was making; it was always nice to know Regulus enjoyed this just as much as he did. They continued to crash together, moving in perfect harmony as if they never stopped their love making, like they hadn't not been together like this in over a year.

Regulus felt his orgasm coming, the continuous abuse to his prostate was pulling him quickly toward his end but he wanted to cum with Severus, wanted to feel his lover pulse and empty his seed inside of his body. Turning his head he pressed his lips to his lover's and thrust his tongue inside Severus' mouth.

The potions apprentice's slick muscle came to meet his and their tongue slipped against the other's, causing them both to drool a bit. The kiss was not sweet or soft, it was a meeting of tongues and lips; both men were trying to express their overwhelming feelings at that moment with the movement of their mouths and tongues.

Regulus pulled away gasping for air and looked at his lover; Severus looked flushed and delightfully undone. The younger swept back in quickly and began to kiss his lover breathless again, the movement of their hips had not stuttered or stilled the whole time they were kissing.

The Black heir was in euphoria, mind blessedly blank, as his lover's stiff cock battered his prostate over and over again. With one more hard stroke Regulus' orgasm finally hit him, exploding outward from his groan and scorching through his body. He felt his balls tighten and his slick passage flutter around Severus' still thrusting length.

In one perfect moment everything stilled before Regulus slammed his bottom down on his lover's intruding cock and came hard, spattering his semen across their legs and onto the already soiled blanket. A low growl swept through the air before Severus snapped his hips up and emptied himself into Regulus' willing body.

A low mewl came from Regulus bruised lips at the feeling of being filled with such warmth. Shifting he relished the way his lover's hot seed moved around inside of him. They moved against each other in slow movements, each riding out their climax before they were overcome with exhaustion.

Rising up once more Regulus turned around and flopped, gracefully of course, onto the bed next to his equally sated and flushed partner. Between heavy breaths the younger spoke; "That was...amazing. I forgot how good this could be." A tired "Hn" was Severus' response, with a light chuckle Regulus called for his wand and with a wave cleaned them, and the bed, of their mess.

When both men were clean again they settled under the blanket; Regulus snugging into his lover's muscled chest. Before he fell asleep the younger man tilted his head and kissed Severus' chin; "I love you Sev." The older man moved his head and placed a soft kiss to Regulus' crown; "Love you too, Reg." After hearing those words the Black heir knew no more.

_**Good Golly….fucking over six thousand words! Well things are progressing for our couple and next chapter more will be happening.**_

_**All Mistakes Are My Own!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Well we have more plot and more slash this chapter! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_A low mewl came from Regulus bruised lips at the feeling of being filled with such warmth. Shifting he relished the way his lover's hot seed moved around inside of him. They moved against each other in slow movements, each riding out their climax before they were overcome with exhaustion._

_Rising up once more Regulus turned around and flopped, gracefully of course, onto the bed next to his equally sated and flushed partner. Between heavy breaths the younger spoke; "That was...amazing. I forgot how good this could be." A tired "Hn" was Severus' response, with a light chuckle Regulus called for his wand and with a wave cleaned them, and the bed, of their mess._

_When both men were clean again they settled under the blanket; Regulus snugging into his lover's muscled chest. Before he fell asleep the younger man tilted his head and kissed Severus' chin; "I love you Sev." The older man moved his head and placed a soft kiss to Regulus' crown; "Love you too, Reg." After hearing those words the Black heir knew no more._

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 4*~*~*~*~*~***_

The two former Death Eaters were making quick progress in making their new French house a home. Severus already commandeered the Potions lab, setting up his many cauldrons and ingredients in their proper places. Regulus, on the other hand, was sorting through the library, searching for another reference to Horcruxes or anything similar.

So far the Black heir was unsuccessful but he would not give up hope in finding a solution to destroy the blasted locket. He knew there had to be a way to do it; he just needed to find it. Severus was already experimenting with different plant based acids and animal venoms, hopefully one of these agents, or a combination of them, would be strong enough to kill the soul festering inside the beautiful locket.

It was shame that something so steeped in history and lore as Slytherin's locket would be destroyed due to his own heir's mania. But if the price of it destruction was the death of their former Lord's soul then so be it.

Regulus was wondering when they would be summoned to their Lord's side again; no doubt the man was planning something despicable in the near future, probably some muggle hunting or torture. It sickened him to have to do it but to decline joining in was a sure way to bring suspicion onto yourself; suspicion was the last thing he or Severus needed right now. So they would reluctantly continue being good little Death Eaters, for now.

He truly hoped that they could succeed in taking down their ex-Lord and his sycophants soon. Every day the snakelike man grew more and more insane, demanding his followers to do more and more depraved things; most of the Death Eaters had no issue with rape, torture or murder. The last time Regulus was called he was forced to watch Rowle rape a twelve year old muggle girl.

It made him want to wretch; this horrid event with Rowle and his stumbling on his Lord's secret was what set the Black heir's plans in motion. But now at least he and Severus were trying to make amends for their past ill deeds by spying and destroying Horcruxes; the ones they could find anyway.

Dumbledore still had not owled them their missive on the date and time of the next Order meeting but they anticipated it would be any day now. Not to mention they would need the charmed books to communicate with the old man; once the books were given the anti-owl wards would be erected. No one would be owling them and both their masters had ways to contact them aside from standard owl post.

Sighing he continued to flip through a rather in depth book regarding dark rituals and wards. However, no mention of Horcruxes was made at all. When he went to flip the next page a torturous burning feeling rocketed down his left forearm. The sound of breaking glass sounded from the Potions lab, alerting Regulus to the fact that Severus was being summoned as well.

Breathing deeply to help assuage the burning pain the Black heir stood and made his way to their bedroom. Once inside he opened their wardrobe and opened the hidden cabinet. Regulus pulled out both his and Severus' Death Eater robes and masks. His older lover walked into the room and dressed himself alongside Regulus.

Once clothed they looked at each other and nodded; today they would see their former Lord for the first time since aligning themselves with Dumbledore's Order. Regulus hoped to Morgana that they could pull this meeting off without alerting anyone to their change in allegiance or their distaste for the acts they were ordered to commit in the service of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Both men left their room and walked to the front room; this was the only section of the house that allowed them to apparate out of. After one more long look into Severus' onyx eyes Regulus slipped on his mask and focused on the image being forced into his mind through the Dark Mark. With his destination in mind he turned on the spot and apparated into the location the meeting was taking place in.

Once he arrived he glanced around and took in the portraits hanging on the wall in the receiving room; the paintings featuring platinum blonde hair and cold grey eyes tipped Regulus off to the fact that they were inside Malfoy Manor. Once Severus arrived, only a few moments after him, a house elf popped into the room and guided them to the meeting room.

Both men followed silently, their footfalls hardly making a sound in the cavernous hall. Finally, they made it to a set of large dark wood double doors. Once they stopped the house elf gestured for them to enter and popped away; the little creature looked quite frightened and Regulus didn't blame the little creature for her fear.

The Malfoys and the Dark Lord were not kind masters and abused those they felt beneath them. The poor little elf was probably terrorized daily for some imagined slight committed against her masters. Reinforcing his Occlumency shields he pushed open one of the heavy doors and entered the room, Severus following closely behind him.

Their Lord sat on his thrown, watching them enter with burning crimson eyes. When both men kneeled before him the snakelike man began to speak; "Ah Regulus, Severus, my most faithful. I have a task for you, something I think you will both enjoy. You see someone has become quite a thorn in my side and has only become more of an incredible nuisance as time goes by."

"I would like you two to take care of this problem. You, Severus, have been tormented and bullied by this man. As for you, Regulus, this man abandoned you and your family for his little lion friends. If you have not figured it out the man is none other than Sirius Black. Think of this mission as a gift; you both can have your revenge on the man who made your life hell or left you for a family of despicable blood traitors."

Regulus' heart stopped when his brother's name was spoken. Yes, his brother had abandoned him but he would never wish him dead nor would he ever wish to harm him without reason to do so. However, to deny his master's orders was tantamount to treason in the Dark Lord's mind. He had no way of declining; "It will be done my Lord. I will take great pleasure dispatching my foul sibling and removing his stain from the House of Black."

The Dark Lord seemed pleased by Regulus' words and turned to Severus for his response. The potions apprentice didn't disappoint their Lord and Regulus had a feeling that his lover would gladly murder Sirius for his part in Severus' torment during Hogwarts; "It will be done my Lord. I will take great pleasure it torturing the blood traitor until he has no idea who he is and only after he cannot scream anymore will I finish him."

The crimson eyed monster smirked happily and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. When they were about to leave their Lord's voice rang out; "Do not disappoint me Severus, Regulus. I would hate to have to punish you for your failure. I want this task completed quickly." With his words finished the Dark Lord stood and strode out of the room through a door in the back.

Regulus breathed a quiet sigh of relief; the meeting was quick but it felt like several hours. Their Lord may no longer be their master but the man was damn scary and unhinged; no one knew when he would snap and lash out, slinging Crucio after Crucio at them for some imagined offense. The two ravens slipped out of the room and moved to the receiving room.

Once inside they apparated back to their sanctuary in France. Regulus removed his white mask and looked at Severus' unmasked face; "Dumbledore needs to contact us soon. We need to inform him of our former Lord's goal." The potions apprentice nodded and began to remove his heavy Death Eater robes, Regulus followed suit and took both their robes and bone white masks back to their bedroom.

When he came back out of the bedroom he noticed Severus was nowhere in sight and figured the man was back in his lab; either his lover was working on something for his Potions Mastery or tinkering with viable serums to kill the Horcrux.

Deciding he may as well do some more searching for mentions of Horcruxes Regulus went back to the large library; hopefully the distraction of research would push the new orders from his former Lord out of his head. Sirius must have done something big to anger the Dark Lord, never before had his older brother's name even been brought up in a Death Eater meeting; Regulus wondered what it was his fool brother did?

_**So this chapter was mostly transitional. I hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**All Mistakes Are My Own!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Well we have more plot and more slash this chapter! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_Once inside they apparated back to their sanctuary in France. Regulus removed his white mask and looked at Severus' unmasked face; "Dumbledore needs to contact us soon. We need to inform him of our former Lord's goal." The potions apprentice nodded and began to remove his heavy Death Eater robes, Regulus followed suit and took both their robes and bone white masks back to their bedroom._

_When he came back out of the bedroom he noticed Severus was nowhere in sight and figured the man was back in his lab; either his lover was working on something for his Potions Mastery or tinkering with viable serums to kill the Horcrux._

_Deciding he may as well do some more searching for mentions of Horcruxes Regulus went back to the large library; hopefully the distraction of research would push the new orders from his former Lord out of his head. Sirius must have done something big to anger the Dark Lord, never before had his older brother's name even been brought up in a Death Eater meeting; Regulus wondered what it was his fool brother did?_

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 5*~*~*~*~*~***_

The charmed book from Dumbledore finally arrived two days after their meeting with the Dark Lord; the book already had a message in it for them. The next Order meeting was scheduled for this evening at nine. The gathering was going to be held at Hogwarts in the Great Hall.

It was summer currently so no students would be there. The Black heir quickly scratched an affirmative reply into the book, letting Dumbledore know they would be there.

Regulus was relieved they would be able to find out who the traitor to the Light was. Until they were caught he and Severus were in constant danger of being found out. Traitors did not survive on the side of the Dark; you were loyal or you were dead. The Black heir wondered how many Death Eaters were actually loyal. It couldn't be many; how many liked being tortured and forced to maim and kill?

He knew Bellatrix, his psychotic cousin, adored the Dark Lord but Regulus felt she was, probably, in the minority. Maybe they could use the other's wavering loyalty to gain more information for the Light? Even simple information could be helpful to defeating the Dark Lord.

For example; they knew Sirius had a price on his head but if that little fact was unknown to the Light they couldn't make preparations to keep Sirius alive. If the Light lost the exiled Black they would lose a talented fighter and the Ministry would lose a dedicated Auror.

Regulus, also, wondered about Lucius' loyalty; the man seemed to support the Dark Lord but would that change now that the Malfoy Lord was married and trying to have a child? It was possible. What man wanted to put their family in danger unnecessarily? Being around the Dark Lord was like being next to a keg of unstable exposives; you never knew when it would explode and you didn't want to get caught up in the backlash.

That was exactly what Lucius was doing by staying with the crimson eyed snake. The man was a devil that would use anything against them to ensure he got his way and his bidding was done. Regulus would ask Severus to speak to the Malfoy Lord and see where the blonde stood; the potions apprentice was always closer to Lucius than Regulus was so his chances of success were better.

If they could get Lucius on their side maybe they could get the book Lucius was harboring for the Dark Lord. Of course, they couldn't request it until they knew how to destroy the damnable things. So far they had a theory but it was only that. Severus believed that Basilisk, or possibly Hydra, venom could be destructive enough to consume the Horcrux.

However, they needed to get their hands on a sample of both venoms to see what would happen when it was exposed to the cursed soul container. The problem was Hydra venom was hard to get, not to mention expensive, while Basilisk venom was not only incredibly rare but damn near impossible to afford.

But Regulus would purchase both toxins when they were successful tracked down; he would give all his gold to see his former Lord taken down. The Black heir knew sacrifices would need to be made for this war to end and if he had to part with some gold then so be it. Gold could be replaced; his and Severus' lives could not. Not to mention by bringing down the snakelike man they would be saving hundreds, maybe thousands, more.

Severus was looking at him from his chair in front of the fire; "What's on your mind, Regulus?" The Black heir smiled, his lover always knew when something was bothering him; "Sev, would you be up to speaking with Lucius about defecting from the Dark Lord? Of course, you wouldn't say it so bluntly but if we could get Lucius onside he would be invaluable."

"You know as well as I do, Severus, that the Dark Lord treats Lucius as his right hand. Even if we don't approach him about defecting you could still get a lot of useful information from Lucius just by spending time with him; you know the idiot almost never shuts up when he's amongst friends. Not to mention Lucius has another Horcrux in his home."

The potions apprentice nodded, looking thoughtful; "Why would Malfoy defect? He has it made right now; he's in the Inner Circle with us and the man has the Dark Lord's ear. Why would he consider defecting?"

Regulus cocked his head to the side; "That is true but Lucius also has a wife now and soon he will have a child. Do you think Lucius will be comfortable allowing the Dark Lord into his home when his child comes? Even if Lucius was okay with the Dark Lord's presence Narcissa wouldn't be."

"Severus, I know you think Cissa is a useless airhead but the one thing she believes in is family. She will not let anyone, or anything, harm her family; this includes the Dark Lord. Maybe I should approach her? She would probably be willing to help us in order to keep her child and husband safe."

Severus was tapping his chin with his pointer finger, something he generally did when he was working something out in his head; "I think you should speak to Narcissa first. I may find her useless but she was a Black and a Slytherin; she'll be able to keep a secret. Reg, if she agrees we'll need to plan to keep her safe in case she's found out."

The Black heir nibbled on his bottom lip; "Indeed, I'll write to Gringotts and ensure that Narcissa will never lose here dowry. Lucius allowed her to keep it when they were married but it is still up to the Head of House Black if she can access it. My dear mother would refuse Narcissa, leaving her broke and on the street."

"I can transfer the galleons to a new account in Narcissa's maiden name, only available to her and me. My banshee of a bearer wouldn't have a clue that Cissa's dowry was gone since she never checks those accounts. I'm grateful for her ignorance when it comes to our financial situation; it benefits us and makes our lives so much easier."

The onyx eyed man smirked; "I think Narcissa will be a very good source of information; she isn't a Death Eater but she is often privy to a lot of intimate conversations taking place between Lucius and his associates. We may even find out the names of some of the unmarked supporters through her."

"I, also, think it would be safer to approach her instead of Lucius. If he refused to switch sides he may relay to the Dark Lord I'm not trustworthy; which would make my life forfeit. The best part of using Narcissa as a spy is no one would suspect the airheaded ice queen of Slytherin."

Regulus smirked right back at his lover; "No, no, they wouldn't, would they? Narcissa isn't the most intelligent but she isn't stupid. I'll invite her to Grimmauld Place when I know my mother is out. I believe Cissa will be more comfortable meeting me there and I don't want to invite her here; if she is ever found out she can lead them back here."

A "Hmmm" was his onyx eyed lover's oh so eloquent reply. Regulus shifted in his chair across from Severus', finding a more comfortable position; "Sev, when I write the goblins about Cissa's dowry I'm also going to request they begin searching for Hydra and Basilisk venom. It may be awhile before they're able to acquire some for us so I think it best to get them working on locating it as soon as possible."

"That sounds agreeable, Regulus. Now, I think we should have dinner and prepare for the Order meeting tonight. We need our rest as we don't know which Death Eater is the traitor. The simpletons in the Order may not be equipped to deal with one of the Inner Circle Death Eaters."

"You know as well as I do that the traitor will probably have no issue using the Avada; we must be vigilant and ready to take them down if they notice us there." Regulus knew his love's words to be true. If it was an Inner Circle member they would not go down easy, or quietly; no, they would take as many Order members down with them as they could.

However, Regulus had a feeling this wasn't the case. The Black heir believed it was someone in the Outer Circle; someone no one would notice and someone who was trusted by the Light side, which no one in the Inner Circle was. He conveyed his thoughts to Severus and got another "Hmm" of agreement.

Smiling at his lover he rose from his seat and went to prepare dinner for them. Before he began to see Severus he never thought about cooking or how to do any form of household chores but now he recognized the need to know how to care for one's self; Regulus couldn't rely on House Elves all the time.

Not to mention he seemed to have a knack for cooking and cleaning; something Severus took great joy in pointing out. In return Regulus needled Severus about his complete incompetence in regards to cooking and cleaning.

Seriously, the man could brew some of the most complicated potions and master the most difficult curses but ask him to cook or clean anything and you would have disaster personified! Chuckling, he began to chop the chicken, and vegetables, into slices for a quick stir fry.

~*~*~Time Skip*~*~*~

The two former Death Eaters approached Hogwarts and, like the previous time, Sirius was waiting for them, fidgeting slightly when he saw the black cloaked figures approach. The three of them remained quite as they made the trek across the grounds, no one speaking a word until they reached the large main doors; "Look Regulus, Severus, Dumbledore asked me to relay something to you."

"He asked that when you locate the traitor you find him and alert him immediately. He doesn't want either of you to do anything to them." Regulus answered for both of them; "That's fine. We know our retribution against the traitor would make you all uneasy so you can have them." Sirius nodded and turned on his heal, walking into the castle, not waiting for his guests.

Regulus took his lover's hand and gave it a squeeze; "Ready love?" A curt nod from Severus was his only answer and with a deep breath the Black heir stepped into the school, his eyes and other senses wide open as he felt for the one they were looking for. Severus went left when they entered the Great Hall while Regulus went right; they would circulate the room separately to identify the Dark Lord's spy quicker.

The Order milled around, chatting amicably or arguing quietly. Regulus thought it was quite quaint to watch. Never would you see Death Eaters chatting happily or laughing together; that was not how things were on the Dark side. You served quietly and faithfully, taking the brunt of the Dark Lord's anger and curses before you went out and fulfilled the snakelike man's evermore insane orders.

Regulus appreciated the Order meetings atmosphere quite a bit more but he wasn't sure how they intended to win the war. The Death Eaters were ruthless and quick to cast the killing curse while the Order used spells to subdue; it was easy to realize who would win in a duel. The Black heir heard of many stories of one Death Eater decimating a group of Aurors, or Order members, just by using the Avada.

It wasn't fair but it was the way it was and unless the Ministry and Order got smart they would lose; this loss would doom them all to the Dark Lord's reign of insanity. A tingling in his forearm alerted him to the fact that he was near his mark. Many of the assembled people were looking at his and Severus' cloaked forms with barely disguised curiosity and unease.

Regulus just ignored them and continued on his hunt for a spy. His search led him to a group of people featuring James and Lily Potter, Remus Lupin, his brother, and that sniveling idiot Peter Pettigrew. The Black heir had never seen any of them at a Death Eater gathering which meant the Dark Lord met with them in private, which made sense. A spy was no good if their identity was widely known.

He wondered out of this little group who it could be? He knew it wasn't James or Sirius. Both were to fanatically loyal to Dumbledore; much like Bellatrix was to his former Lord. Lily was muggleborn and would sooner skin herself than join the Death Eaters. That left Lupin or Pettigrew; he favored Lupin as he was a werewolf. It would make sense that he would join the Dark; most of his kind had.

Getting closer he circled around the little gathering and focused. As he got closer his Dark Mark flared, letting him know he was getting closer to one of his Death Eater brethren. However, he was disappointed the he couldn't figure out if it was Lupin or Pettigrew. Deciding to improvise he moved across the Hall to Dumbledore's side.

The aged wizard was having a conversation with McGonagall but excused himself when Regulus got close to him. The Black heir went to Dumbledore's side and murmured quietly; "It's either Lupin or Pettigrew, I'm not sure which. Get them into a secure room. Severus and I know the counter to several spells and glamour's that Death Eaters use to cover their Marks." The revered Headmaster nodded and with a jovial smile made his way over to the two men.

Regulus located Severus; when he found himself next to his lover he explained what was going on. When he was done with his explanation both former Death Eaters silently followed Dumbledore from the Hall and through the school. Eventually, they made their way to the man's office; Regulus guessed this was as secure a location as they could get.

The two cloaked men held back until Dumbledore and his guests were up the stairs; when they heard the door closed they made their way up the stairs and listened intently. Once they heard Dumbledore intone; "Incarcerous" the two men made their move and entered the office, quickly silencing the two bound men. There was no need for their useless chatter and claims of outrage.

The aged Headmaster sat down and flicked his wrist, closing and locking the office door; no one would be interrupting. Severus made his way toward the two bound men, taking off the hood of his robe as he went. Lupin's and Pettigrew's eyes widened comically.

Severus ignored their looks of shock and outrage and began to speak; "Now, let's see which one of you have been filtering information to the Dark Lord." Regulus circled around so he could see the two men. He observed the two seated captives, taking in each of their facial expressions and their eyes. Lupin looked angry but unafraid, basically stating with body language that he had nothing to hide.

Pettigrew on the other hand was almost shaking with fear, his face white and sweaty, while his eyes were dilated in terror. Oh yes Regulus believed they found their leak. With a chuckle he stepped forward and removed his hood; "Severus, I think we should check Pettigrew first." His loved nodded before casting a body bind on the pathetic, little, man and removing the ropes that bound him.

Regulus watched his lover rip Pettigrew's left sleeve up, exposing his unmarked forearm; this display meant very little to the two former Death Eaters. Both knew the Mark could be concealed. However, the sniveling idiot thought he'd won something and seemed to radiate triumph.

The tall, onyx eyed, man sneered in derision; "You think this means anything you insignificant little worm? Do you not think that I don't know how to cover the Mark?" This apparently had not occurred to Pettigrew and once again he was white with fear. Severus laughed darkly before pointing his wand at the offered forearm; "Revelare."

When the simple Revealing charm didn't work Severus continued to cast a variety of Revealing spells, there was no success until he intoned; "Secreta Expositi." Once the onyx eyed man finished his incantation the Dark Mark began to appear in all its horrid glory. Regulus watched Pettigrew's face lose all color completely and if he wasn't frozen in place he would be shaking in absolute terror.

Lupin looked disgusted and enraged but was unable to speak or move to hurt Pettigrew. Dumbledore was looking at the now exposed Death Eater with such malice Regulus never would have thought the normally kind man capable of showing. Severus stepped back to Regulus' side and looked quite pleased with himself; both former servants of the Dark Lord waited for Dumbledore to act.

The aged man continued to stare at Pettigrew before he drew his wand and cast the counter to the Silencing spell. The ratman began to babble; "Please sir, please, I didn't want to! I was forced and he would have killed me! Please you have to believe me!" It was at this point that the man broke down and began to blubber in earnest.

Dumbledore looked disgusted; "You say you had no choice. If that's so why did you not come to me, or one of the other Order members, and tell us what happened to you? Why did you conceal your misfortune? I can only conclude it was due to you willingly taking the Dark Mark and feeding Voldemort information on our movements."

"For this, Peter Pettigrew, I will never forgive you. Because of you we have lost several Order members to severe injury or death. Before the pathetic man could speak he was silenced again and Dumbledore unbound and un-silenced Remus Lupin, an apologetic look on his wrinkled face; "I must apologize, my boy. This was the only way to know who the traitor in our ranks was."

Remus grimaced, still looking angry; "I understand, Headmaster. What made you think the traitor was me? Is it because I'm a filthy Werewolf? Since I'm a Werewolf it must be me, right?" Regulus rolled his eyes at the rant full of self-pity; could anyone be more dramatic?

Clearing his throat he stepped forward and effectively cut off Lupin's rant; "If you must know you were asked to be here since I couldn't figure out who out of the two of you had the Dark Mark on their arm. But if I'm honest you were the better choice. As you said you are a Werewolf on the Light side of the war."

"That in itself is suspicious but I can see now that I was wrong and I apologize for suspecting you. However, until we figured out who the Dark Lord's spy was I, along with Severus, would be suspicious of any Order members." Severus shifted behind Regulus but said nothing, content to let the silver tongued Black heir deal with the situation.

Quashing the exasperated smile he wanted to send his lover he looked at Dumbledore; "What will be done with Pettigrew?" The aged man stroked his beard before speaking; "I will turn him directly over to Madam Bones. Once he's in Ministry custody Pettigrew will be dosed with truth serum and questioned. If he is found responsible for any crimes he will be punished according to our laws."

Regulus nodded; "Sir, we must speak with you, it is urgent." The Headmaster stood and made his way over to Pettigrew's seated form. The aged man drew his wand and mutterd; "Obliviate, you will not remember us interrogting you. You came to me to confess your crimes since you were overwhelmed with guilt." The other men in the room were shocked; never in a million years did Regulus believe that Dumbledore, the symbol of the Light, would Obliviate someone!

The old man stopped before the floo and called for Madam Bones' office; the Black heir wondered if the revered woman would still be in her offices at this time of night. It seems she was since the tall woman stepped out of the floo not three minutes after Dumbledore started the call.

The exchange between the woman and Dumbledore was brief. Once their conversation was finished Pettigrew was placed under a strong sleep spell, removed from his chair, and then rebound with magic suppressing shackles courtesy of Madam Bones. With little preamble the blonde woman sent Pettigrew through the floo with her following shortly after.

Once only Lupin, Dumbledore, and the two former Death Eaters remained the aged man spoke directly to the Werewolf; "Remus, would you excuse us? I also have to ask that you not speak of what you saw, or heard, here. I will be informing the others about it tonight after I finish speaking to Severus and Regulus."

The tawny haired man looked like he wanted to protest having to keep silent but in the end gave his word and left the circular office. Once the three men were alone Dumbledore sat behind his desk and motioned for the two younger men to sit. Before the Black heir could say anything the Headmaster spoke again; "I asked Madam Bones to not mention that you and Severus were here in her report. I won't take the chance of anyone finding out about you two. And I mus ask that you not say anything about what happened here tonight."

Regulus and Severus both agreed to be silent about the Obliviate. With Dumbledore satisfied about their silence Regulus cut to the chase; "We were called to the Dark Lord's side and given a mission. He asked us to take out Sirius, saying he was becoming too big of an inconvenience. Of course, Severus and I have no interest in carrying out the order but we cannot let it appear that we are reluctant to do so."

"If our former Lord found out we were shirking his directive he would be most displeased." Dumbledore merely nodded, understanding that if Voldemort found out about Severus and Regulus' insubordination they would be tortured, possibly even killed. Seeing the Headmaster understood the Black heir continued; "That being said I must ask that Sirius stay out of sight."

The elder man looked thoughtful before his facial expression cleared; "I understand and will ask that Sirius take time off work and lay low. However, we may have to coordinate an attack on your brother to make it seem like you and Severus are trying to follow through with you orders."

"I know it is unpleasant but Voldemort must believe you are both still loyal to him." Severus looked like he wanted to jump for joy at the prospect of attacking Sirius but Regulus could only grimace in distaste. But no matter how distasteful he found the idea he knew they would have to do it as they didn't want to end up tortured to insanity, or killed, at the end of the Dark Lord's wand.

"I understand; we can coordinate something between us later tonight when Sirius is there." Dumbledore stood again and made to leave the office; "Well then if there is nothing else we should get back to the Great Hall so I can explain what transpired tonight." Both former Death Eaters rose, raised their hoods and followed their former Headmaster out of the office and back toward the Hall.

The Order members were looking at theit cloaked forms with even more curiosity when they walked into the Hall behind Dumbledore. However, Regulus did not acknowledge them and continued to follow the elder man until they reached the raised platform where the staff table was.

Once the three men were on the platform, Regulus and Severus standing behind the old man, Dumbledore began speaking; "Tonight I found out some disturbing information. Tonight I found out who the Dark Lord's spy was; Peter Pettigrew was the one funneling information to the Dark. I, myself, saw the Dark Mark on his arm. He has since been turned over to Madam Bones and will face punishment if it is merited."

"This revelation could not have been possible without the two men who stand behind me now. These two men have joined the Light side at great risk to their lives. They will be our eyes and ears inside the Death Eaters and will be sending valuable information on to me."

"They have already given me information in regards to an assassination order on one of our members. Sirius Black has been integral in disrupting Voldemort's plans, as well as arresting several Death Eaters. This has not gone unnoticed by Voldemort and an execution order was given for his life."

Several voices piped up, expressing their fear and anger; all were silenced by Dumbledore's raised hand; "Fortunately, for us this information is known to us and we can make plans to keep Sirius safe. After the meeting I would like Sirius Black, James and Lily Potter, Remus Lupin, Frank and Alice Longbottom as well as the two men behind me to stay behind to discuss this turn of events."

Regulus watched the requested members nod their agreement before Dumbledore rattled on about the goings on in the Ministry and the wizarding world at large. He didn't hear any valuable information and wondered what the hell the Order members were doing to stop the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters.

If it was up to him they would be staging raids on suspected Death Eaters, taking them in for questioning, and if they were guilty handing them over to the Ministry for a formal investigation before sentencing them to Azkaban for their crimes. It appeared that all the Order did was respond to attacks, arriving, most of the time, after the main attack force was gone and the damage was done.

Sighing lightly Regulus decided he would give Dumbledore the names of a few lower ranked Death Eaters when he returned home; he knew most of the newer members were pressured to join by their families and were redeemable. All they needed to do was question the person under truth serum to find out if the person in question was willing to join the Death Eaters or if they were coerced.

If the person under questioning was truly loyal to the Dark Lord they would be Obliviated, making them forget they were ever interrogated by the Order, and sent to the Ministry for official questioning. If they were not loyal then Dumbledore may gain another spy or if the person wasn't willing to spy they could offer sanctuary to them.

It was a sticky situation either way but not impossible; no one deserved to be forced to torture and kill. Regulus felt like he was one of those coerced into joining. He truly wanted to please his mother but now realized he never should have, he should have told his mother to go to hell but that was in the past.

All he could do now was help those who didn't want to serve the Dark Lord and turn in those who did. He wouldn't turn in the Malfoys quite yet and he possibly never would. Only time would tell how he would deal with the Malfoy family. However, Narcissa, and any children she had, would always be safe with Regulus.

A loud clap and the sound of shuffling feet alerted him to the ending of the Order meeting. Taking a deep breath and grasping Severus' hand he left the platform to join the remaining Order members and Dumbledore in the center of the massive room.

Hopefully, they could devise a sound plan to keep Sirius, and themselves, from getting killed. The Potters, Longbottoms, Lupin and Sirius still looked shell-shocked by the news of Pettigrew; Regulus couldn't blame them. It was precisely this reason why the Black heir only trusted Severus completely; everyone else was suspect until proven otherwise.

He and his lover stopped walking when they were standing in front of the others and removed their hoods, both enjoying the wide eyed shock on most of their faces; James, Sirius, and Remus already knew who they were but the others had no clue. Regulus would have to ask for an Unbreakable Vow from all of them; no one could open their mouth and blab that they were working for the Light. He and Severus had no plans to die; they were Slytherins and all Slytherins had a distinct sense of self-preservation.

When the group quieted Dumbledore turned to Severus and Regulus; "Now, I think we should speak about that staged attack. Do you have any ideas? How would you normally execute an attack?" Severus spoke for them this time; "Usually, we would shadow the target, learn their movements, and when we identified a weak point we would exploit it."

"I have to warn you when we stage this battle Regulus and I will not hold back. We have to make it look real or we will be punished by the Dark Lord. Rest assured we won't use the Avada or any curses that cannot be reversed. Regulus and I just need to know when and where to stage it and we'll carry it out." The Order members looked disturbed, staring at Dumbledore as if he betrayed them.

James, of course, began squawking; "Headmaster! You're just going to let these two filthy Death Eaters attack Sirius! I'm sure Snivellus is looking forward to killing him! No Avada my arse..." The rest of his words were cut off when the Potter heir yelped in pain after Regulus sent a Stinging hex at his chest.

Stepping forward until he was invading the now wounded Potter's space the Black heir spoke, knowing Severus was behind him with his wand drawn, backing him up; "Listen here you fucking arrogant twat! As I said before you will respect Severus and me. If you cannot manage to act like an adult I will have no issue punishing you like a child."

"Also, need I remind you that if it wasn't for us, these two filthy Death Eaters as you called us, you'd still have a little spy in your ranks? One of your best friends as I recall. So pardon me if I don't find your character judgment all that sound. Oh and how could we forget that without Severus and I Sirius would be clueless about the order to kill him?"

"So watch your words you arrogant arse or maybe we'll forget to mention when it's your life on the line. Don't fuck with us, James Potter, you will lose." His words were quiet and serious but also filled with loathing. Done giving his warning Regulus moved away from the now red faced James, smirking at the gathered Order members who just stood there looking dumbstruck.

Seriously this people were pathetic. They hadn't even tried to intervene and pull him away from Potter while he was speaking. Hell they hadn't even tried to retaliate when he'd sent the Stinging hex! They just remained standing there, looking gormless. Useless, the lot of them were totally useless!

Dumbledore, evidently, decided to stop the confrontation between James and Regulus before it went too far. It was quite a departure from their school days where the Headmaster would let them carry on until one of them, usually Severus, came away bruised and bloody.

With a smile the Headmaster spoke; "I will have to ask that you respect Mr. Snape and Mr. Black. They risked a lot to help us tonight and will continue to risk themselves. I believe it is time to let childish grudges go and move on; we all need to work together to win this war."

The Longbottoms, Lupin, Lily, and even Sirius looked alright with this suggestion. James was the only one who looked mutinous by the suggestion but Regulus ignored him; he had no doubt he could wipe the floor with the Potter heir if push came to shove.

With the people in attendance calmed Dumbledore continued; "Sirius, when is the best time for you? We should plan for this attack to take place soon. Afterwards you will take time off work to heal and go into hiding until such a time where it is safe for you to come out." Sirius did not look happy about hiding but understood it was for the best; it seemed his older brother was getting smarter, shocking!

The former Black heir looked thoughtful; "I guess it would be best to get me when I leave for work in the morning. My building doesn't allow for a floo connection, or offer a designated apparition zone inside the building, so I have to go outside to apparate to the Ministry. And I warded my flat to the teeth so getting me while I'm inside there isn't going to happen and I'd like to do it outside so we do less damage."

Regulus nodded; "What time do you usually leave for the Ministry?" Sirius looked at his little brother; "Between seven thirty and eight; I'll be on the lookout for you and give you a fight but once I whistle back off so I can make my great escape; alright?" The two former Death Eaters nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore clapped his hands and concluded their meeting with an odd twinkle in eyes and a smile on his face; "Very good! Now, Sirius, you won't know the exact day the attack will happen we need to make it look realistic. Be on your guard and act as you normally would when confronting Death Eaters."

The former Black heir smirked; "Oh, I plan on giving these two a run for their money. But Headmaster where should I apparate to after the battle?" The Headmaster stroked his beard; "Well my boy apparate to James and Lily's house and Lily will remain home until nine and if you don't arrive she'll go to work at St. Mungo's."

Done speaking to Sirius the old man turned to Lily; "My dear, I'm asking you to do this as you are the only one somewhat qualified to treat Sirius if he is injured." The red head squinted; "But Headmaster I just began Healer training. If Sirius comes in with a life threatening injuries I may not be able to save him!"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful; "Well then I'll inform Poppy to be on the alert for your call. If you cannot handle the injuries contact me and I'll send Poppy to assist you." Lily nodded, looking relieved; "Thank you Headmaster."

With a smile the aged man turned toward the rest of the assembled people; "Now Frank, Alice, James, and Remus, I want you all to go to Sirius' apartment and setup before seven fifteen; you'll be repsonsible for shielding any innocent bystanders from the hexes being thrown."

"And you all should be on your guard. If Voldemort is calling for Sirius' life for being in the way of his plans he will no doubt call for yours as well at some point. Be smart and stay well. If there isn't anything else I call this meeting to an end. Of course, if you need me I'm always available through owl or the floo."

Before anyone could leave Regulus stepped forward; "I apologize but I must ask for all of you to give me an Unbreakable Vow. No one can know Severus and I are working for the Dumbledore. We would be dead within a week and I don't trust any of you to keep your mouths shut."

The Order members looked like they wanted to protest but quieted when Dumbledore spoke; "I see nothing wrong with that request. Will I be required to take the Vow as well?" The Black heir snorted; "No, Headmaster I think you can shield your mind adequately and I doubt any Death Eaters could capture you to get the information out of you." The aged man chuckled; "Well then wands out everyone and repeat after Regulus; I will be the bonder."

The gathered people drew their wands and Regulus began; the vow was simple and straightforward, essentially they would not betray him, or Severus, knowingly, or unknowingly. They would not speak about Regulus', or Severus', allegiances to anyone, not even between themselves. Basically they couldn't say anything about the two former Death Eaters if it involved the war or whose side they were fighting for.

Regulus was quite proud of his wording. It would keep him and his lover safe and that was what mattered. James Potter was the type to spout off at the mouth when he was angry and that could have disastrous consequences for Severus and Regulus.

When the Vow settled they moved to leave the Hall, not stopping to bid anyone goodbye. Their work was done for the night and they were both tired. It was quite taxing to stand in a room full of people who would like nothing more than to hex you if they found out who you were. Pulling their hoods over their raven heads they left the Great Hall and exited the castle.

They heard footsteps following them and when Regulus stopped and turned his brother almost ran smack into him; "Sorry, Reg, but Dumbledore asked me see you both out."

Sirius looked a bit nervous, and irritated, as if he didn't want to say what he was about to say; "I, also, wanted to thank you both for helping us. I mean we never would have thought Peter was the spy and I would never know that there was a price on my head."

"I guess I'm trying to say thank you." The two former Death Eaters nodded and continued their trek to the gates. No other words were spoken and that suited the cloaked men just fine; though Sirius looked nervous, almost as if he was waiting for verbal scolding from Regulus. The Black heir had no need to speak to his brother at present and just wanted to get back to their sanctuary.

Once the gates were closed, and secured, behind them Severus hugged Regulus close to him and with a crack they were gone.

_**Translations:**_

_**Revelare = Reveal**_

_**Segreta Expositi = Secrets Exposed**_

_**Alright, so next chapter more Horcruxes and the plot moves on.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Well we have more plot and more slash this chapter! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_They heard footsteps following them and when Regulus stopped and turned his brother almost ran smack into him; "Sorry, Reg, but Dumbledore asked me see you both out."_

_Sirius looked a bit nervous, and irritated, as if he didn't want to say what he was about to say; "I, also, wanted to thank you both for helping us. I mean we never would have thought Peter was the spy and I would never know that there was a price on my head."_

_"I guess I'm trying to say thank you." The two former Death Eaters nodded and continued their trek to the gates. No other words were spoken and that suited the cloaked men just fine; though Sirius looked nervous, almost as if he was waiting for verbal scolding from Regulus. The Black heir had no need to speak to his brother at present and just wanted to get back to their sanctuary._

_Once the gates were closed, and secured, behind them Severus hugged Regulus close to him and with a crack they were gone._

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 6*~*~*~*~*~***_

Regulus sat on top of the townhome across from his brother's apartment building; Severus was in the alley between Sirius' building and the one next to it. Both were dressed in full Death Eaters garb; terrifying bone white mask included. They were waiting, and watching, for Sirius to exit his building so they could begin their charade to fool the Dark Lord.

He cast grey eyes around and rolled his eyes when he saw the Order members loitering around; couldn't these people even hide themselves correctly? With a sigh he returned his sharp eyes to the front door of Sirius' building; it was now eight o'clock in the morning, hopefully his brother would exit soon so they could get this over with.

A flash of movement from behind the glass alerted him to someone leaving and with a small grimace he noticed it was indeed his older sibling. With a deep breath he turned on the spot and disapparated; Regulus reappeared directly in front of his brother's building and began to cast his first volley of spells. He didn't cast anything to gruesome; he wasn't trying to kill his sibling, but he needed to make this attack convincing just in case the Dark Lord decided to use Legilimency on him.

He and Severus decided to attack in waves; Regulus going first followed by Severus. His bother threw up a shield, causing the younger Black's Curses to deflect into the crowd of muggles milling about. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Frank Longbottom shielding the muggles, and as much of the structures as he could, from damage. Regulus really couldn't give a damn about any of that at the moment.

The Black heir ducked behind a crar, or was it car? He ducked behind whatever the muggles called those big metal contraptions that carried them around in since they didn't have access to the Floo Network. From his vantage point he saw Severus slide out of his hiding space and begin to hammer Sirius with some very Dark magic; not that Regulus hadn't known his lover would do this. Severus was taking his chance to get his licks in on Sirius while he could.

The battle was very one-sided. From the beginning Sirius wasn't able to return any spells of his own at his Regulus or Severus. The beseiged Order member resigned himself and attempted to shield himself or dodge the incoming spells coming at him. The younger Black son felt quite pleased that he, and Severus, was able to overwhelm his brother with their superior spell casting. A flash of bright purple light flashing through the air brought his attention back on their faux duel.

Regulus grimaced when he noticed Severus' hex, which the younger Black believed to be an extremely painful Expelling Hex, shred through Sirius' shield. The vibrant purple orb of light slammed into his elder sibling's side when the elder Black son didn't dodge completely out of the way in time. He watched in twisted awe as his brother's side was torn open, exploding in a shower of gore, and splattering the sidewalk thickly with crimson blood.

It was at this moment that Sirius whistled, signaling to the two ex-Death Eaters that he was retreating and to stop their attack. Regulus thought it would last longer than this but he couldn't blame his brother for wanting it all to end. Sirius was losing a lot of blood, not to mention the gaping hole in his side, so it was not unexpected that he needed to retreat to seek medical attention as soon as possible. The wound would be difficult to treat; it was steeped in Dark magic, which generally resisted any form of healing.

Regulus remained where he was and watched as his bother withdrew what looked like a chain and mumbled something, within a second Sirius disappeared to the Potter's residence. Ah a portkey! Well that made sense. The Black sheep was hardly in the condition to apparate safely; it amazed Regulus that his brother had the foresight to arrange for a portkey to take him to safety.

Probably someone else's idea. Sirius was the type to run in half-cocked and roll with the punches. His brother would not have considered that he wouldn't be in any condition to apparate at the end of this little farce. But Regulus was glad someone thought of Sirius' escape. His elder sibling would have splinched himself, or possibly ended up in a lake, if he tried to apparate just now.

With their task complete Regulus quickly made his way over to a very smug looking Severus. The younger man rolled his eyes at his lover but let him have his moment to gloat. The onyx eyed man had waited a long time to get a good hit in on Sirius. Regulus knew his brother deserved much more than Severus was able to give him today for all the pain he'd caused the other man during their school years.

Deciding his love had gloated enough Regulus nudged the taller man's side; "Severus, let's go. We need to get out of here before the Aurors show." His partner nodded and grasped his arm; together they disapparated back to their home in France.

When they arrived they removed their masks, banishing them into the closet in their bedroom. Once unmasked Severus raised his sleeve and jabbed his Dark Mark with his wand, sending a pulse of magic into the disgusting brand. This action let their former Lord know they needed to speak to him.

With that done all Severus and Regulus needed to do was wait to be summoned to his side. Regulus smiled at the man he loved; "Well that went pretty well and if he asks to see our memories we won't have anything to hide. What hex did you use to do that much damage to Sirius' side?"

Severus smirked maliciously; "Latrocinor, pity it didn't hit him where it was supposed to." Regulus huffed and glared at his lover; "Sev, you weren't supposed to kill him. Salazar! If that hex hit where it was supposed to he would have been eviscerated in the middle of the sidewalk! As it is he'll have a massive crater in his side for the rest of his life."

His onyx eyed lover did not look sorry in the least. Actually, he looked like he could give a damn about any of the lasting effects caused to Sirius' body. Well that wasn't a surprise, really. Severus despised Sirius Black and that would never change. With a sigh he turned to remove his heavy black robes and hung them on the hook near the front door. There really wasn't a point in putting them away. They would be summoned soon to report in.

Severus followed suit, shrugging off his robes and hanging them beside Regulus'. Together they both entered the library; nowadays they spent most of their time here, or in the potions lab, trying to figure out a way to destroy the Horcrux in their possession. He felt like he'd been through almost the whole damn library! And after all that searching he'd found, or come up with, almost next to nothing. The only idea, or hope, they had to destroy a soul container was Basilisk or Hydra venom.

Unfortunately, his goblin manager was having an issue locating either. Not a shock but it was a bit disheartening. Regulus just wanted to kill the damn thing! As long as his insane former Lord had his Horcruxes he would not die; Salazar that madman needed to die! Taking a deep breath he refocused his mind and entered the rows of books.

Severus was already seated by the fire, perusing a book he pulled earlier. The Black heir continued through the stacks, going deeper and deeper into the rows of books until he came to the section that housed the book relating to Rituals and Summoning; most of these books weren't just considered Dark but Black.

Most of these tomes detailed things to horrid to fathom. However, they were dealing with something equally against nature so maybe these books would detail something that would help their cause. Intelligent grey eyes scoured the titles until he found _Summoning Hell; Bringing the Darkness to You._Well that looked as promising as any of the other titles.

With a shrug he pulled the book and returned to the chair opposite Severus. He began to browse through the book, grimacing at some of the summoning rituals and what one needed to procure to make them happen. Regulus wasn't the most moral man, not by a long shot, but even he would not sacrifice a child to summon some of these creatures.

He continued to look through the book, reading more about ritual summoning despite his repulsion. The book, so far, detailed how to summon several denizens of the Underworld; Thanatos, Hypnos, and Melinoe to name a few. But so far none of these summoning rituals were of help to Regulus' mission so he moved onward. He stopped when he stumbled on the chapter for summoning Charon; the ferryman who brings newly deceased souls across the river Styx and Acheron.

According to the text Charon could be summoned to their world via ritual but one needed to have a sacrificial offering for the ferryman. The sacrifice was three obolus, which were small silver coins used in Athens. The three silver pieces would symbolize the placement of the coins on the deceased's body; one in the mouth and two over the eyelids. Three was also a very powerful magical number, using three obolus as the book directed would add latent power to the ritual.

And while the Dark Lord's Horcrux wasn't technically a newly deceased soul it was still a piece of a soul. Regulus deduced that Charon wouldn't split hairs; he was there to collect a soul and a soul he would have. The soul being offered wasn't a whole, untarnished, offering but it was a soul nonetheless. The Black heir hoped that would be enough to call Charon to them.

Aside from his reservations about the soul being taken the sacrificial offering was simple. However, the workings, and production, of said ritual were not; the Arithmantical and Runic translations were unfathomably complicated but not impossible. This avenue of destroying the Horcrux would take a while to set up but Regulus believed it would work if they accomplished it.

He finished reading the instruction on the placement of the offering and the instructions on how to set up the ritual but he skipped the exact words he would have to speak to enact it and went straight to the purpose of the ritual. According to the book Charon would be summoned and once the offering was accepted he would take the soul of your enemy back to the Underworld with him.

Once the soul was taken it would cease to exist in the mortal realm, thereby destroying it forever. The Black heir smiled; "Sev, I found it, I found something to get rid of it!" His lover's dark eyes widened and he extended a hand for the book; Regulus willingly handed it over and let his partner read through the text.

When Severus was done he looked up at Regulus; "It appears this could work. It would take a while to set up the ritual but if done correctly it should work. Merlin Regulus we actually found it!" The grey eyed male beamed; "We did and aside from the obolus the other necessary items for the ritual are a bit hard to find but we'll probably find those before we find Basilisk, or Hyrdra, venom."

Severus nodded; "It good that none of the required things are illegal, well not too illegal that one can't get their hands on them." Regulus smirked; "Nothing is impossible to get your hands on when you have the right amount of money, love." His onyx eyed lover smirked back at him before speaking; "Indeed, now that we found this we should get started on it."

"If the ritual works and the soul within the locket is removed by this Charon we should approach Narcissa for the diary. We may not even have to involve her in the way we were going to before; which I think is for the best. Using your cousin was a risky move and I'd like to avoid any more risk than necessary."

Regulus nibbled his lip in thought for a minute; "I agree. However, I'm still going to secure her dowry just in case Lucius goes down for Death Eater activities. But I may need to explain a bit as to why we need the diary if we intend for her to risk her neck to get it. The only plus about Narcissa is I know she is not thrilled that her husband is working with the Dark Lord."

"She doesn't like that her husband could be arrested for his more illegal activities. If that were to happen Lucius could lose his wealth, title, lands, and freedom. Cousin Cissa likes her comfort and riches. She would not be happy to be suddenly poor and left shackled to a disgraced husband rotting in Azkaban."

"So I believe she'll be agreeable to help us procure the diary if I promise that she'll have access to her dowry if Lucius goes down. I may, also, allude that what we're doing could bring an end to the Dark Lord. If she is resistant to helping us that little tidbit may sway her over to our side." Severus tapped his chin with his pointer finger while looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

Finally he looked at Regulus; "I can see that working, quite well actually. So let me summarize; we will collect what is needed to work the ritual. Once we are satisfied that the ritual removed the soul piece from the mortal plane you will contact Narcissa about getting us the diary." Regulus "Hmmm'd" in agreement and held out his hand for the book to be returned to him so he could review the information again.

Just as he was about to take the book from Severus' hand his lover hissed in pain and grabbed his forearm, causing the book to fall to the floor with a heavy thunk. Regulus looked at his lover, immediately understanding that Severus was being summoned to their former Lord. The Black heir stood as did Severus and side by side they made it to the apparition point in the foyer.

Once they were swaddled in their heavy Death Eater robes Regulus grasped Severus' bicep. The grey eyed male nodded to his lover, letting him know he was ready to apparate to wherever it was their Lord was residing at that moment. The older man spun on his heal and with a crack they left the safety of their home.

_**All Mistakes Are My Own!**_

_**Translation:**_

_**Latrocinor = Exenterate**_

_**Exenterate: disembowel**_

_**Well we have found a way to destroy a Horcrux. I haven't seen anyone actually write about it this way but I could be wrong. Bear with me while I hash out the ritual and all that. **_

_**Below is a bit of information on Charon and the other Underworld residents. Sorry if I didn't use the appropriate accents in the chapter but I don't really feel like dealing with them...**_

_**Charon;**_

_In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, usually an obolus or danake, was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person. Some authors say that those who could not pay the fee, or those whose bodies were left unburied, had to wander the shores for one hundred years. _

_**I decided to use three coins in this story instead of one, obviously.**_

_**Thanatos;**_

_Thanatos was regarded as merciless and indiscriminate, hated by—and hateful towards—mortals and the deathless gods. But in myths which feature him, Thanatos could occasionally be outwitted, a feat that the sly King Sisyphus of Korinth twice accomplished. When it came time for Sisyphus to die, Zeus ordered Thanatos to chain Sisyphus up in Tartarus. Sisyphus cheated death by tricking Thanatos into his own shackles, thereby prohibiting the demise of any mortal while Thanatos was so enchained._

_Eventually Ares, the bloodthirsty god of war, grew frustrated with the battles he incited since neither side suffered any casualties. He released Thanatos and handed his captor over to the god. Sisyphus would evade Death a second time by convincing Persephone to allow him to return to his wife stating that she never gave him a proper funeral. This time, Sisyphus was forcefully dragged back to the Underworld by Hermes when Sisyphus refused to accept his death. Sisyphus was sentenced to an eternity of frustration in Tartarus where he rolled a boulder up a hill and it would roll back down when he got close to the top._

_**Hypnos;**_

_In Greek mythology, Hypnos was the personification of sleep; the Roman equivalent was known as Somnus. His twin was Thanatos ("death"); their mother was the primordial goddess Nyx ("night"). His palace was a dark cave where the sun never shines. At the entrance were a number of poppies and other hypnogogic plants. His dwelling has no door or gate so that he might not be awakened by the creaking of hinges._

_**Melinoe;**_

_**Melinoë**__ is a chthonic nymph invoked in one of the Orphic Hymns and propitiated as a bringer of nightmares and madness. She may also be the figure named in a few inscriptions from Anatolia, and she appears on a bronze tablet in association with Persephone. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Hola People! The plot is moving forward. Thanks to all that reviewed, fav'd, and followed! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_Finally he looked at Regulus; "I can see that working, quite well actually. So let me summarize; we will collect what is needed to work the ritual. Once we are satisfied that the ritual removed the soul piece from the mortal plane you will contact Narcissa about getting us the diary." Regulus "Hmmm'd" in agreement and held out his hand for the book to be returned to him so he could review the information again._

_Just as he was about to take the book from Severus' hand his lover hissed in pain and grabbed his forearm, causing the book to fall to the floor with a heavy thunk. Regulus looked at his lover, immediately understanding that Severus was being summoned to their former Lord. The Black heir stood as did Severus and side by side they made it to the apparition point in the foyer._

_Once they were swaddled in their heavy Death Eater robes Regulus grasped Severus' bicep. The grey eyed male nodded to his lover, letting him know he was ready to apparate to wherever it was their Lord was residing at that moment. The older man spun on his heal and with a crack they left the safety of their home._

_**~*~*~*Chapter 7*~*~*~**_

They touched down in the foyer of an old, dilapidated, house; where they were Regulus had absolutely no idea. It definitely wasn't one of the pureblood manors the Dark Lord seemed to favor. With a slight shake of his head he began to walk in the direction he felt their Lord's overwhelmingly dark presence coming from.

Severus was right by his side and before they reached the room the insane snake was residing in the older man grabbed Regulus' hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before they pushed the doors open. The sight that greeted them was of a ballroom that at one point must have been beautiful but now looked worn, rundown, and generally uncared for. It was littered with leaves and other detritus from years of being uninhabited.

Sitting in the middle of the filthy room, framed by the high floor-to-ceiling dirt streaked windows behind him was the crimson eyed devil himself. Both Death Eaters approached quickly, lowering themselves onto their knees in deference to their Lord. Regulus waited, breathing deeply and calmly, for Voldemort to address them.

"Regulus, Severus, I assume since you are here that your mission to rid us of Sirius Black's annoying presence was successful?" Severus, with his head still lowered in submission, murmured; "No, my Lord, we were unable to finish him but I know we gravelly wounded him and I am without doubt that Black will be out of our way for weeks while he heals."

The Dark Lord was silent but Regulus tensed when he felt the Dark Lord's magic lash out in anger. After a few minutes of pinful silence the red eyed demon spoke; "You did not succeed in killing him? Then I must ask why you both are here? You did not complete your task so your request to speak to me is useless, a waste of my time. Do you think that Lord Voldemort has time to waste on either of you?"

The Black heir forced himself to relax and not tense in preparation for what may come; the Curses hurt a lot worse when you tensed. It came swiftly with a quiet hiss of "Crucio" and Severus was writhing in agony on the dirty wooden floor, screaming in distress as the Dark Lord cackled with malicious glee. Regulus felt sick watching his love in such pain but he could do nothing to help him nor was he stupid enough to try.

Finally, the monster lifted the curse from Severus; Regulus had not once raised his head to look upon his former Lord the whole time he tormented his partner. All the youngest Black son could do was continue to look out of the corner of his eye and watch his lover attempt collect himself. Severus' bottom lip was bleeding, torn open when he lacerated it with his teeth while he was under the Cruciatus. His lover's body was trembling, almost spasming in residual pain, and all Regulus wanted to do was go Severus' side and help him.

He still knew he could not, no matter how much he desired to; it would not help either of them at this point. If Regulus showed any weakness in the face of Severus' torture Voldemort would exploit it, either right now or later on in the game. He also couldn't forget that his lover would resent Regulus' assistance.

By interfering right now the Black heir would be essentially saying his partner was incapable of handling himself. Sitting back and watching his love's suffering was the last thing Regulus wanted to do but he knew he would have his chance to hover and care for Severus later on when they returned home.

That sibilant drawl brought the grey eyed wizard's attention back on his Lord; "Regulus, Regulus, you failed me as well. But Lord Voldemort is merciful, is he not? I will not hurt you for your failure tonight but if it happens again I will destroy you." The Black heir lowered his head further while tilting it to the side, exposing his neck, showing his ultimate submission to this madman's whims before Regulus spoke the word's his former master would want to hear.

"Of course, my Lord is merciful and kind. Thank you my Lord. I am in your debt." The crimson eyed bastard cackled again; "Yes, little Black, you are in my debt. Remember that the next time you are given a mission. If you fail again I may wish to collect more than you can spare." Regulus nodded but remained silent; he knew his words were not needed or wanted this time.

Severus was now back on his knees but the younger raven could hear his lover's breathing was still ragged. Salazar, Regulus hoped his love hadn't broken a rib in his crazed thrashing. It didn't matter right now, right now the two of them needed to get the hell out of there. The Black heir could attend to his companion's injuries when they were safe.

"Get out of my sight before I regret sparing your pathetic lives." Both Death Eaters rose and bowed to their Lord before hightailing it out of the room. When the Dark Lord said leave he meant leave now and Regulus had no desire to test the devil's patience tonight. Once they left the ballroom the smaller man wrapped an arm around Severus' middle, cautious of his possibly broken or bruised ribs, and assisted the other man in walking back to the apparition point.

Severus was sluggish in his movements and his breathing was still labored; it appeared Regulus would be the one apparating them back home. Before they left this house of horror the Black heir looked out one of the windows that framed the front door, trying to pick up any landmarks or clues on where they were.

If there was something distinguishing maybe Regulus could find a way to alert Dumbledore. Granted the Order was a joke, filled with bleeding hearts, but they could still do surveillance and possibly some damage to one of the Dark Lord's bases. The less options Voldemort had in terms of safe places to go to ground the better off the rest of the world was. He couldn't see much but he noticed the house they were in was on a hill and overlooked a small village in the valley below.

The house itself was old and un-kept. It was also obviously muggle as Regulus had yet to see on magical portrait or trinket around the place. Not to mention that the place didn't feel magical. Regulus knew there were wards up to prohibit anyone getting in that wasn't supposed to but the house itself didn't radiate any ambient magic like most old magical houses did.

So the Black heir deduced the home must be muggle. He would report their meeting to Dumbledore via the notebook and mention the location. He would also preface his explanation about the location with the fact that he didn't know if any other Death Eaters knew where their Lord was at the moment. If Dumbledore showed up here and no other followers were summoned the Dark Lord would know it was either Severus or Regulus who spilled their Lord's position to the Order of the Phoenix.

If that happened Severus' and his lives were as good as gone. And Regulus had every intention of living through this shite so no needless risks would be taken on his part. People like James Potter and his brother could run into danger and court death but Regulus enjoyed living as evidenced by his last second choice to get the hell out of that wretched cave with the Dark Lord's Horcrux.

After he'd looked and catalogued as much as he could about the surrounding area Regulus held Severus a little tighter and murmured lowly into his lover's ear; "Hold onto me, love. I'm going to apparate us out of here."

The taller wizard didn't verbally respond to his words but Severus' arm came up and snaked around Regulus' waist. Once the Black heir felt that his partner had a decent grip on him he twisted and with a crack they returned to their safe house in The Vosges.

When the two men landed in the apparition zone in their home Regulus drew his wand and banished their black Death Eater robes to the closet and led Severus to the potions lab. He situated his lover on the long work table and began to cast a few diagnostic spells on the older wizard. It was as he suspected; Severus' ribs on his right side were bruised and one sported a crack in it.

Other than that most of the damage was painful but superficial; strained muscles from tensing and flexing from the overwhelming torment of the Cruciatus and his throat was ragged from screaming. Regulus just thanked whatever gods were out there that Severus' mind was alright; too many people, both muggle and magical, broke under the force of the Dark Lord's Crucio.

Injuries known the Black heir bustled about, pulling out the required potions for his dazed lover's injuries and came back to force-feed the stubborn man his medicine. He didn't explain what he was giving Severus, the man knew exactly what he was taking and why. Once the liquids were taken Regulus could see his lover's body begin to relax as the potion to heal his muscles began to take effect.

The pain reliever was also doing its job as the taller wizard was able to move without wincing. However, the damage to Severus' throat would take overnight to heel, regardless of the potion given to fix it, so it was best for the onyx eyed male to stay quiet until the damage was fixed.

Regulus looked into his partner's tired eyes and smiled sadly, he hated that this was what they had to deal with. He despised that this was what they were reduced to and it was all because of the Dark Lord and their own stupidity. How could Regulus and Severus have been so stupid and blind?! They should have known better than to believe anything the Dark Lord promised them when they took the Mark.

But they had and know they were stuck with a madman hovering over every part of their lives and a vile stain on their forearm that bound them to said madman. However, they were taking steps to bring the insanity to an end. It was true that their world needed change but not how the Dark Lord was going about it.

Maybe when this was over with Regulus would take his place on the Wizengamot and begin to take steps to make the changes that would help. It wouldn't be easy for him, or anyone from a Dark family, to get any form of support from Light or Neutral families but he had to try. Besides a good idea was a good idea no matter where it came from and, hopefully, the people who would oppose him for his name alone would realize that.

It was a longshot to hope for but he had to hope. Most of what he was doing lately was on the hope that they would destroy the Dark Lord. He ran on the hope that one day he and Severus could be free to do as they pleased with no one to tell them they were wrong for how they felt. True, some people would always put too much emphasis on blood but Regulus knew better now.

He knew that Severus, a half-blood, was on his level power wise so how could he in good conscience continue to believe that his pure blood made him better than Severus? He couldn't and he wouldn't; the rest of the bigots would have to deal with it and open their closed eyes to the reality of the situation.

A low moan from Severus shoved Regulus into action; with a flick of his wand he had his lover levitating from the table. He made his way to their bedroom and after he pulled the blankets back he gently lowered Severus onto the soft sheets. He banished his lover's clothes to the wash, placed his lover's wand and holster onto the nightstand, and cast a few cleansing charms on his body, hair, and mouth. The charms would do until the older wizard could take a proper bath and brush his teeth.

After Severus was as clean as he could get him using magic Regulus pulled the blankets back over his injured companion's nude body, tucking him in tightly before he left the room to bring them something to eat. He selected a large bowl of cut up fruit and soup that he reheated; nothing too heavy but enough to satiate their hunger until the morning.

He returned to the room to see his lover leaning against the pillows while he waited for Regulus to return. When those dark eyes saw the food hovering on a tray next to him Severus smiled and waved the younger man into the room. The grey eyed wizard was pleased that his lover had an appetite at all, it was a good sign that he was healing.

Together they ate in silence; both just enjoyed the other's company after a long day. But it was a good day even with the summons to the Dark Lord. They had found a way to get rid of the insane bastard and that was a great thing. Tomorrow Regulus would request for the goblins to begin searching for the needed number of obolus; how hard could it be to find three silver coins? He didn't think it would be too complicated but only time would tell.

When they were done eating he sent the tray of food back to the kitchen; Kreacher would deal with it when he came during the night to tidy the house and do the laundry, and stripped out of his clothes for a quick bath. He entered the bathroom and flicked his wand to fill the tub up, once the bath was filled his cast a warming charm on the water and entered the tub with a sigh of pleasure.

It was delightful and Regulus enjoyed the feeling of the warm water swirling and caressing his achy and tired muscles. After a few minutes of luxuriating Regulus began to wash his body and hair. Once he was clean and rinsed he stood and exited the large tub. Several drying charms later and after brushing his teeth the Black heir was leaving the bathroom and slipping naked in between the sheets of their bed.

Severus was in a light doze but roused himself enough to grasp Regulus and tug him over to his body. The smaller wizard was careful about where he laid his head; he didn't want to hurt his lover by putting any weight on his healing ribs and muscles. In the end he placed his wand and holster under his pillow before he nuzzled into the crook of Severus' neck, threw his leg over the other man's and waved his hand for the lights to go out.

Sleep claimed Regulus quickly; thoughts of summonings, rituals, and Horcruxes swirled around in his mind, fueling strange and sometimes nightmarish dreams.

~*~*~*Time Skip~*~*~*

As it turned out finding the required oboli was not as easy as Regulus would have thought. A week later and the goblins weren't any closer to obtaining one, let alone three. Apparently, the silver coins were hard to come by due to the fact that over the years they'd been melted down and used for other things, such as jewelry, statues, or weapons.

But Regulus was not giving up, not at all. He could wait for a bit but if it looked like they wouldn't find the required three oboli the Black heir would request for the goblins to make them for him. This was the last resort as the oboli made by the goblins would not be true Athenian produced money and who knew if Charon would sense the difference when they summoned him.

At least they had a backup plan if the oboli were elusive in being found. However, Regulus had faith in his goblin; the creature always managed to come through for him, it may take a little while but eventually whatever Regulus wanted Ironcaw would find. He'd even instructed the goblin to continue searching for Hydra and Basilisk venom. So with three things being sought he was hopeful that at least one of them could be found soon.

On the bright side Severus' injuries from his torture at the hands of the Dark Lord were all healed and the onyx eyed wizard was back studying for his Potions Mastery. Regulus was busy researching things for the summoning ritual and keeping up with business dealings for the House of Black. Today he would have to visit Grimmauld Place and put in an appearance with his Banshee of a mother.

Before he dressed to go back to his childhood home he checked the charmed notebook from Dumbledore to make sure no messages were written for them. The book was clear, showing no new information or meeting times. Regulus had already reported their meetings with the Dark Lord to Dumbledore the morning after it occurred a week ago.

The Black heir also detailed the environment the Dark Lord's house was located in and explained that he had never been there before. Regulus also explained that the Order would need to be covert if they wanted to spy or attempt to take the hideout down since as far as he knew only Severus and himself had been summoned to the rundown muggle manor.

The aged Headmaster agreed to keep the new location quiet for the time being. Most of the Order members were probably busy with their real lives and jobs to drop everything and go hunting the country for the muggle house the Dark Lord was using as a base. But for some reason Regulus had the feeling that the old coot knew exactly where the Dark Lord's muggle manor was.

Of course the aged Headmaster had not said as much but it was practically screamed at Regulus from in-between the lines of the man's last missive. However, that was not the Black heir's concern; if Dumbledore knew where the house was then it was all the better. The Dark Lord would attribute any Order spies found around the property as sent by Dumbledore's knowledge.

He would, hopefully, not attribute the presence of Order members at his place of operations to Regulus or Severus. And even if the Order members knew where the house was it was unlikely that they could overcome the wards and enter the property before the Dark Lord and any Death Eaters left the place, taking any and all information about their plans and attacks with them.

It also could go the other way; the minute the Dark Lord knew the Order was there he could summon his servants and start a bloody battle. Regulus knew the Order was outmatched against the Death Eaters, not because the Dark was stronger. It was because the Dark would use any means necessary to win and fell their opponent.

Avada's were preferable to Stupify's in the Death Eater ranks unless they needed to capture someone for interrogation. And in those cases the person they captured didn't need their legs or arms for speaking; many prisoners of the Dark Lord had missing limbs, eyes, and organs. The Death Eaters could, and would, do as they pleased as long as the prisoner could still speak and answer questions clearly.

The Order preferred to stun and bind their adversaries and while this was nice and sweet it was a weakness. Especially when you're in a fight with people who have no issue with killing you. It was also ridiculously simple to undo a stunning spell and body bind; it only took a few seconds to execute the counter charms and then the once out of the way fighter was back in the game.

Regulus, Severus, and maybe Mad-Eye Moody, Sirius, Potter, and Lupin would have no issue with casting some of the more unpleasant hexes and curses but the rest of the Order would continue to fight with gloves on. To win this war they would have to take the gloves off and strike back as harshly as the Death Eaters. It wasn't desirable as they would be no better than the monster they wished to beat but in the end they needed to win.

The Order couldn't just keep surviving on luck and chance. Eventually their luck would run dry and their chances would be taken from them. It was better to kill one Death Eater than let them escape and kill countless innocents. Regulus would take the staining on his soul to keep others safe and so would Severus; their souls were already compromised due to murder and the Dark Mark.

With a sigh the grey eyed wizard shut the notebook and prepared himself to visit the vessel that gave him life. He took great pains in making sure nothing about his appearance was out of place; Regulus couldn't give the bitch anything to harp on.

No doubt she'd be unbearable today. He knew she'd heard about Sirius' injuries in the attack by Death Eaters and would take great joy in screeching about how Sirius was unworthy and a disgrace and deserved all the pain he got at the hand of her beloved Dark Lord.

Regulus would need all the control he had not to throw her down the stairs but he would endure just like he always did. He was happy that Sirius was healing well at the Potters' home. Dumbledore reported that in the notebook the day after the attack took place on his brother as well. Sure his elder brother was missing a large chunk out of his side but he would live and Severus got a bit of his own back; Regulus counted that as a success.

Fully prepped and dressed the youngest Black son went to the potions lab to say goodbye to his lover. Though he probably could have skipped it for all the attention Severus was paying him. It seemed the man was on a mission to find another way to destroy the Horcrux now that they knew how hard it would be to find the venom and oboli they required.

Regulus placed a kiss to his love's temple before he made his way to the apparition point in their home. With a resounding crack he apparated to the home of his childhood; Merlin and Morgana give him strength to endure his mother!

_**Alright, next chapter we will destroy our first Horcrux but not in the way you all are thinking we will. : ) Oh and Narcissa will make an appearance, too. Teeheee stay tuned lovelies. Also, I think we only have three chapters left before I wrap this baby up.**_

_**All Mistakes Are My Own!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Hola People! The plot is slowly moving forward but I put it on hold in favor of giving you yummy nummy SLASH! You have been warned! Thanks to all that reviewed, fav'd, and followed! Enjoy Lovelies!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_Regulus would need all the control he had not to throw her down the stairs but he would endure just like he always did. He was happy that Sirius was healing well at the Potters' home. Dumbledore reported that in the notebook the day after the attack took place on his brother as well. Sure his elder brother was missing a large chunk out of his side but he would live and Severus got a bit of his own back; Regulus counted that as a success._

_Fully prepped and dressed the youngest Black son went to the potions lab to say goodbye to his lover. Though he probably could have skipped it for all the attention Severus was paying him. It seemed the man was on a mission to find another way to destroy the Horcrux now that they knew how hard it would be to find the venom and oboli they required. _

_Regulus placed a kiss to his love's temple before he made his way to the apparition point in their home. With a resounding crack he apparated to the home of his childhood; Merlin and Morgana give him strength to endure his mother!_

_**~*~*~*Chapter 8*~*~*~**_

Regulus was still exhausted the next afternoon; his mother was a chore to deal with on the best of days and he loathed being in her company with his whole being. How his father could stand her was a mystery to him but alas the man was dead and, hopefully, resting in peace so the Black heir would never have the chance to ask him.

The only bright spot of the whole four hour ordeal was him running into Narcissa; she stopped by to pick up a book for her husband, Lucius, from the massive Black family library. A book that Walburga refused to allow a house elf to deliver. Apparently, the book was incredibly valuable and rare; it could only be handled by those with Black blood. The one who was not of their blood would not live long enough to gain any knowledge after touching the cursed tome.

This aroused Regulus' interest; what could Lucius needd such a book for? He would have to ask Narcissa what her husband was asking her to look into when he visited Malfoy Manor in three days. That was the silver lining to his visit with his mother. He finally succeeded in setting up a meeting with Narcissa and the kicker was Lucius wouldn't be home when they met.

The Malfoy Lord's absence would work in their favor as they wouldn't need worry about being disturbed or overheard; well they would have to use Silencing Charms to stop any nosy elves loyal to Lucius but that was an easy fix.

Severus was unexpectedly absent when Regulus returned from Grimmauld Place and from the note left by his lover he would be gone until tonight. What the man was up to was a mystery to Regulus but the older wizard mentioned a lead on how to destroy the Horcrux in their possession. If that was indeed the case Severus could take all the time he needed to do what needed to be done.

So far the goblins had not found a drop of Hydra or Basilisk venom and to date the hunt for the required obolus was equally unsuccessful. Seriously, Regulus was becoming antsy and while he knew this process could take a while the infamous Black impatience was starting to show itself. He couldn't help feeling angry and irritated with the lack of progress in dealing with the abomination's destruction but he wasn't ready to concede defeat and go to Dumbledore for assistance; not yet and maybe never.

Besides the creation of Horcruxes was as black as you could go magically; how would Dumbledore, the beacon of the Light, know about such things? Regulus sometimes wondered how Light the Headmaster really was. For the old man to become that skilled and powerful he had to of dipped into some of the more unsavory aspects of magic at some point in his life and Regulus wanted to know which ones the old man fell prey to; not that he had much hope to get Dumbledore to reveal his secrets but one could hope.

Regulus knew that darker magic was seductive and beautiful in its own unique way; if you weren't careful they would control you and twist you into something base and feral. Just look at his cousin Bellatrix. Sure Bella was always a bit unbalanced but after practicing the Dark Arts for so long she'd become unhinged and bloodthirsty; no one, with the exception of the Dark Lord, was safe around her. Even her own husband, Rodolphus, was wary of the deranged witch.

It bothered the Black heir quite a bit to see someone of his bloodline reduced to the level of a rabid animal but there was nothing to do for Bella now; well committing her to St. Mungo's for Mind Healing would be a start but he was unsure if anything could be done for her. The Mind Healers may be able to get her passibly stable mentally but Regulus was not so sure if Bella would ever be able to function peacefully in society again.

Either way Bella needed to be taken out of the equation soon. She was almost as bad as the Dark Lord when it came to being ruthless and uncaring. The insane witch thrived on the agony and pain of her victims; it sickened Regulus. These thoughts gave him an outlet for his frustration; he'd find a way to get Bella admitted into St. Mungo's, citing it was for her own good.

However, once the Healers at Mungo's saw Bella they would realize her admission to the mental ward wasn't just for her own good but for the safety of society as a whole. Now how to go about it? Would Rodolphus help him? Regulus knew Rabastan would be on board; the second Lestrange son despised Bellatrix for how she treated his elder brother.

Well there was only one way to find out, wasn't there? He would have to speak to the Lestrange men and sound them out. Narcissa may even wish to be involved in this as well. The blonde Black sister adored her sisters, even the disowned Andromeda, and it hurt her to watch Bella deteriorate more and more every day. Secrecy would be a must though; no one outside of the core group could know what they were planning for Bella.

Severus of course would be filled in and no doubt his lover would be the first to volunteer to escort the insane Lestrange woman when the time came to bring Bella to Mungo's. The Potions Apprentice hated Bellatrix with a passion; Regulus believed Severus hated Bella more than he hated Sirius and that was saying something.

Regulus knew why the onyx eyed man despised his cousin so; Bella went out of her way to make Severus feel like he was less, throwing his half-blood status into his face at every opportunity. It angered Regulus too. Even when they weren't together it angered the Black heir to hear the man he loved disparaged so. The worst part was that Bella's accusations and taunts were so patently false they were laughable; Severus was more powerful than her and also commanded the Dark Arts with a finesse she could never match, no matter how long or hard Bella practiced.

This was probably why Bella often verbally attacked Severus so forcefully. The witch couldn't stand that a half-blood could best her, a pureblooded witch. Regulus didn't give a damn either way, really. Yes, Severus was more powerful than he was but Regulus could still keep up with him in a duel because he was quicker and more agile; other than that they were evenly matched in their knowledge of spells so there duels often ended in draws.

With a sigh he got up and exited the library; there was no information to be found that hadn't already been uncovered already. Damn it! Something had to give! Taking a deep, calming breath Regulus entered the kitchen to make a pot of tea; a good cup of tea could always calm him down when he was feeling unsettled and agitated.

Just when he sat down in the sitting room to rest and sip his tea he heard Severus apparate into the foyer. Regulus stood and rushed to see his lover; the taller man was stripping off his over robe, a large slightly manic grin on his face; "Regulus, I have something. I was thinking while you were at your mother's house and I had an idea so I went to check it out and I think it'll work, Reg. I think it may just work..."

The Black heir just stood and tried to understand what exactly would work and finally gave up trying to understand Severus' excited rambling. Taking the initiative he stepped forward, leaned upward, and smashed his lips against Severus', effectively shutting the man up. The onyx eyed wizard made a startled noise but quickly became engaged in their kiss.

Regulus was pleased when he heard his taller partner moan and released an amused huff when he was shoved into the wall where he was quickly covered by Severus' larger form. It felt heavenly to be sandwiched between the hard wall and his lover's equally hard body; they'd not made love or engaged in any sexual activity for quite a few days and the Black scion would be lying if he said his body wasn't yearning for the older wizard's touch.

Their coupling was quick and heated, clothing was stripped and thrown haphazardly all over the foyer. Their wands and holsters were dropped onto the floor and when they were both naked a succession of whispered Charms had Regulus' arse stretched, slick, and ready for the taking; something Severus would waste no time in taking advantage of.

The grey eyed wizard was moaning loudly at the sensual feeling of Severus' powerful magic swirling and caressing his channel while it did it work. The sensations were so mind blowing that Regulus felt his control slipping and when he began to utter breathless pleas for more he felt no shame in them. He just wanted to feel his lover inside of him after their short separation.

The larger male answered his pleas soundlessly, grasping Regulus' slender, toned thighs and lifting them so they wound around Severus' trim waist. Once the younger man was settled and secure in his hold Severus aligned his length and with one more muttered Lubrication Spell to slicken his cock Severus plunged his rigid member deep inside Regulus' waiting body.

The noise that left Regulus' pouty lips when he felt Severus' balls slap into his slick arse cheeks was a sound between a strangled moan and a mewl but it wasn't the last sound of desire that would leave the Black heir's mouth. His taller partner was hitting all the right spots to turn him into a moaning, whimpering, screaming pile of goo and flesh.

Merlin, Severus knew his body better than Regulus himself did; the way the onyx eyed man rotated his hips or sheathed himself completely in the younger man's arse only to pump his hips shallowly so he could palpate Regulus' sensitive prostate on each inward thrust, it was maddening and oh so fucking good.

How had Regulus done without this man for so long? Why had he listened to his bitch of a mother and left this man, this absolute jewel that adored Regulus with all of his being? He must have been mad but he would never leave this or Severus again; in a moment of pure love and gratefulness for the man fucking him Regulus moved his hands from their place on Severus' strong shoulders and wrapped his arms around his love's upper back, pulling him close so their chests were pressed together.

The older man stilled his movements and moved one of his hands from Regulus thighs to wrap around the Black heir's sweaty lower back, pressing their bodies even closer together. The grey eyed wizard nuzzled his head into the curve of Severus' neck, placing sloppy kisses to the sweaty skin; "I love you, Sev. Always love you."

The larger male laid the side of his head against the crown of Regulus' head; "I love you too, Reg. Always." The shorter man placed one more caress of his lips to Severus' pale skin before he ground his hips downward, impaling himself on his lover's hard length and moaned when the blunt head of Severus' cock smashed into that delightfully tender bundle of nerves deep inside of him.

His partner took the hint that their little, tender moment was over and began to thrust inside of Regulus' body but this time instead of their movements being driven by lust and passion they were driven by love and joy; each thrust was mind shattering and each movement proof of their feelings of adoration for the other.

Regulus tightened his legs around Severus' waist, crossing his ankles together, so he could get the leverage needed to continue to move along with his love's movements. The added stimulus to his body that this subtle movement provided was amazing; it forced Severus' thick length deeper inside of his willing body. Where before the hits to his prostate occurred every so often on a particularly deep thrust they now came on every inward motion of his companion's cock.

The smaller man was writhing against the wall, rolling his hips like a wanton whore, and making noises that would have made his fellow Death Eater colleagues blush. He was so far past giving a damn though, as long as Severus kept hitting all those delicious places inside of him Regulus wouldn't care if the whole damn world crashed and burned around him.

He could feel his release coming by the tightening of his balls to his body and the rolling heat fluctuating erratically in his stomach. Without a thought he moved his arm away from where it was hugging Severus and forced it in between their heaving forms. Regulus grasped his hard member and began to pump and twist his hand in time with his lover's deep thrusts.

Toward the end their rhythm got jerkier as they both chased their orgasm; Regulus was slamming his bottom down onto Severus' thrusting cock, trying to squeeze out every bit of euphoria he could before his release overwhelmed him. Their end came suddenly like a small wave cresting benignly onto the shore only to slam down on the beach with mind warping force that left them both screaming the others name to the high ceiling of their foyer.

The younger man continued to pump his cock until he felt he had nothing left to give. Severus continued to roll his hips, wringing every ounce of seed out of his body and depositing into Regulus' still fluttering channel. Once their mutual satisfaction was reached they continued to hold each other, basking in the afterglow of their love making.

After they'd caught their breath and Severus got tired of supporting Regulus' dead weight he lowered the dazed grey eyed wizard to the ground. However, the taller man still supported Regulus hunched body by wrapping his strong arms around the Black heir's slender back. At this point the younger wizard was still completely and utterly boneless after his mind blowing orgasm and would have crumpled to the floor without his partner's assistance.

Regulus finally came back to himself after a few moments of standing up and straightened to his full height in Severus' arms only to wrinkle his nose at the feeling of thickening semen dribbling down his thighs and belly. The ebony eyed male chuckled when he saw the little frown creeping up onto his smaller lover's gorgeous face before muttering a Cleansing Charm for the both of them.

Now that they were both clean and sated Regulus was ready to hear what his lover was babbling about when he'd apparated into the house earlier. "Alright, Severus, what were you talking about earlier when you came home? I couldn't understand a damn word of it."

The taller raven smirked, a gleam of triumph flittering into his usually blank eyes; "I think I may have found a way to destroy the Horcrux without using venom or summoning a demon from hell. We should sit down before I start."

As he went to enter the library Severus seemed to realize they were both still nude from their earlier session against the wall; "And we should probably dress." Regulus just shook his head and gave his lover a warm smile as he summoned his underwear, trousers and shirt from their locations all over the room. Now that they were clothed they entered the library, taking their customary places around the warm fire.

Regulus just waited for Severus to explain, knowing his partner would speak when he was damn well ready and no amount of goading would get him to talk before he wanted to. Finally, the older man began his story; "Yesterday when you left to visit that harridan you call a mother I was working on constructing a magical compound that would be caustic enough to destroy the Horcrux."

"Needless to say after several hours I was irritated and no closer to developing anything. However, something came to me when I was searching my mind for anything that could work and it hit me; concentrated Sulfuric Acid. It's a muggle chemical that eats through almost anything."

Here Regulus' face must have shown his doubt for Severus rolled his dark eyes; "Stop with that look, Regulus Black. This could work! Think about it; the Dark Lord no doubt protected the Horcrux against the magical means to destroy it but I doubt he guarded it against non-magical means."

"The Dark Lord had no respect for muggles or anything that comes from them. This idea led me to the muggle library and I read up on Sulfuric Acid; it might be just what we're looking for."

The Black heir forced himself not to reject Severus' plan just because it was based on a muggle invention and really thought about what his lover was saying. Grudgingly, he admitted to himself and his partner that the idea of using this acid had merit but he was confused as to how Severus even knew about this Sulferic...Sulperiac...well whatever this acid was called.

Regulus disliked not knowing things, especially when they involved the man he loved; "Sev, how did you know about this acid?" The ebony eyed man sighed; "I learned about it in muggle primary school before I went to Hogwarts. I've always been good at science; how things work and how they react when you combine them together. The muggles call it Chemistry and it's why I'm so good at potions."

The Black heir nodded, accepting his lover's explanation and leaving it at that; he knew Severus hated talking about his time before coming to Hogwarts and the younger man had no desire to dredge up memories of his partner's horrid younger years. With a sigh he looked away from Severus; "I think it could work. How do you get this stuff, anyway? If it's as strong as you say it is it can't be readily available to us."

The taller man nodded; "It's not. If we went about this in a legal way I would need to get a permit to buy it and the amount for purchase is controlled so we will need to go about it covertly. But as we're both fully capable wizards it should not be a problem; with the use of Concealment and Stunning Spells we should be able to break into the facility with few problems. And if we are seen an Obliviate works quite well in a pinch."

Regulus nodded, a smirk emerging onto his sculpted face; "I like the way you think. Okay, where is this place?" Severus smirk mirrored Regulus' before his brow furrowed in annoyance; "I'm not one hundred percent sure where on goes about getting it but I think if you ask the goblins to find out they will be able to. Merlin knows how those creatures know half of what they do."

The Black heir could only nod in agreement; how the goblins gathered their information was a mystery that many wizards wished they knew. It was also why some wizards were uneasy around goblins; they never knew how much the goblins knew or what they were thinking behind their beady, black eyes. But this was neither here nor there at the moment, right now the goblins' knowledge would work in their favor so Regulus didn't see the point of dwelling on how the goblins knew what they knew.

"Alright, I'll contact my goblin manager tomorrow and inquire about where one finds concentrated Sulsperic acid." Severus snorted; "It's Sulfuric acid, Regulus." When he saw the Black heir's blank stare Severus huffed; "I'll write it down for you so you don't get confused and ask the goblins to find us the wrong thing."

The grey eyed wizard merely shrugged unrepentantly; why the hell did he need to know what concentrated whatever acid was until today? It was hardly a shock that he couldn't remember the name let alone say it. But he let it slide since this was the best plan they'd come up with so far and Severus looked so pleased with himself that Regulus couldn't bring himself to rain on the older man's parade.

When Severus pushed the parchment bearing the chemicals name on it Regulus folded it and placed it in his trouser pocket for later. Now that they were done speaking about their newest plan Regulus realized his belly was empty and growling; "Well that's that then. Would you like to come to the kitchen for some dinner? I think Kreacher left some stew and fresh bread for us last night."

The taller wizard stood and followed Regulus to the homey kitchen where they would eat and enjoy a quiet night together; who knew how many times they'd get to relax in the other's company in the future with the war heating up. This little bit of knowledge made Regulus cherish their quiet time together even more than he usually did.

_**I lied; the Horcrux will be destroyed next chapter along with Regulus' meeting with Narcissa. I wanted to write it but I figured it was time to give you guys some slashy goodness. : ) Hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**As for why I choose to go the route with the Sulphuric Acid...well I think it would work. I believe that obtaining Basilisk venom would be damn near impossible and since no one knows about the giant Basilisk living under Hogwarts no venom will be forthcoming from that quarter. **_

_**And Hydra venom? Well who the hell knows where one goes to find that and I imagine that if Hydra did exist they would be incredibly rare and hard to find since my goblins in this story can't them; the same theory applies to the oboli I mentioned for the Summoning Ritual.**_

_**So I chose to use Concentrated Sulphuric Acid since it can damn near eat through and destroy anything; I.E. the Horcrux. I believe this would work since Basilisk venom is incredibly caustic in its own right much like Sulphuric Acid is so it would be perfectly plausible for the Acid to completely consume the Locket container. **_

_**It is my understanding that the soul piece cannot live without its container so once you get rid of the locket you get rid of the soul piece as evidenced by the destruction of the Diary in Book 2. So since the Locket is protected against magical ways of destroying it I chose to go the muggle route.**_

_**I think using a muggle chemical would succeed in destroying the Horcrux since the Dark Lord wouldn't think muggle means worth protecting his soul piece against. Voldemort considers non-magical things beneath his notice or concern. His loss in this fic I guess. : ) **_

_**Anywho, if anyone has any questions about this method let me know but I think I've laid it out clearly for you, dear readers. Yup, I put a lot of thought into this method but I wanted it to be believable and possible. **_

_**All Mistakes Are My Own!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author: HatefulRodeo_

_Story: Only Black in Name_

_Notes: Hola People! PLOT AHOY! Enjoy the update Lovelies! Thanks to all that fav'd, followed, and reviewed; even if I never read them._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story._

_Previously:_

_The grey eyed wizard merely shrugged unrepentantly; why the hell did he need to know what concentrated whatever acid was until today? It was hardly a shock that he couldn't remember the name let alone say it. But he let it slide since this was the best plan they'd come up with so far and Severus looked so pleased with himself that Regulus couldn't bring himself to rain on the older man's parade._

_When Severus pushed the parchment bearing the chemicals name on it Regulus folded it and placed it in his trouser pocket for later. Now that they were done speaking about their newest plan Regulus realized his belly was empty and growling; "Well that's that then. Would you like to come to the kitchen for some dinner? I think Kreacher left some stew and fresh bread for us last night."_

_The taller wizard stood and followed Regulus to the homey kitchen where they would eat and enjoy a quiet night together; who knew how many times they'd get to relax in the other's company in the future with the war heating up. This little bit of knowledge made Regulus cherish their quiet time together even more than he usually did._

_**~*~*~*Chapter 9*~*~*~**_

Regulus stepped out of the massive, ornately decorated hearth and into the opulent Receiving Room in Malfoy Manor. His face was impassive as it always was when he was dealing with others but when he saw his cousin's splotchy face and red eyes he quickly made his way towards her, letting some of the concern he was feeling leak into his chilly grey eyes.

"What's happened, Cissy? Are you hurt?" Narcissa smiled a little smile at the childhood nickname but quickly lost it when her eyes refilled with tears; "Regulus, I don't know what to do. I don't know what's come over Lucius lately...he's so cold to me." The Black heir wanted to snort in exasperation; this was why his cousin was upset? Her husband, who was really a living iceberg, was being cold to her?

Regulus wasn't surprised that Lucius was finally acting like his usual self around his wife. The Malfoy Lord played his part to get Narcissa attached to him and the benefits that came with being Lady Malfoy and now that the blonde man succeeded in his goal he would revert back to his usual mannerisms and ways.

His blonde cousin should be happy Lucius kept up the charade for this long; they'd been married for about two years at this point which was a long time to put forward such a farce. How Narcissa fell for Lucius' loving husband act was a mystery to Regulus.

Hadn't she known Lucius at Hogwarts? True, Cissy and the then Malfoy heir weren't in the same year but she had to have noticed how frigid and cold Lucius was even then. Evidently not by the looks of it.

Oh well Narcissa Druella Malfoy nee Black wasn't considered the brightest witch of their age and who knew if she even noticed Lucius' actions during school or if she justified them as the way Lucius acted in public. She'd probably convinced herself that her soon to be husband would be very much different in private; all Cissy would have to do was wait until they were married and the Malfoy Lord would open up to her.

Sadly, Narcissa was wrong to hope for something like that and Regulus would have told her, and a lot more about her then fiancée, if anyone asked him what he thought but alas no one had. He did wonder why Lucius chose now to stop with the acting and for the sake of his curiosity he had to ask; "Cissy, has anything happened between you two lately that could cause Lucius to act differently?"

The slender blonde woman sniffled; "I told him I was expecting our first child and according to the Healer I visited to confirm my pregnancy it's a boy." Well there it was; Lucius now had his heir and Narcissa had fulfilled her wifely duties and no doubt the blonde man considered any further action of warmth pointless now that his obligation was met.

Regulus had no illusions that Lucius would still visit Narcissa for sex but it would be merely that; a mutual release of sexual frustration. Who knows how his cousin would feel about that but it really wasn't his business. However, and it was a little heartless to think, this situation he'd walked in on with his melodramatic cousin could benefit his and Severus' cause.

Narcissa was upset with Lucius at the moment and would no doubt be more open to suggestion and more agreeable to the plan Regulus was going to discuss with her. With a small smile on his face he hugged his cousin; "Congratulations, Cissy. I'm sure you'll be an excellent mother. Don't worry about Lucius he'll come around." Yeah, when Nifflers fly but he held his tongue and comforted the woman in his arms.

She sniffled into Regulus shoulder, making the Black heir grimace and look down on her with ill-concealed disgust. Did she have to use him as a fucking snot rag? Well he'd deal with it if it meant furthering his cause but he didn't have to like it. Seeing his relative was still upset the grey eyed male continued to placate; "Shhh...Shhh Cissy. It'll be okay."

"I'm sure everything will be okay if you give it time." Yeah, how about giving it forever? He knew Lucius wasn't going to change but who was Regulus to stomp on his cousin's little dream of a loving husband. Really didn't she know they were married through a contract and that she should be pleased with being the kept wife of a Lord and enjoy the vast vault Lucius not doubt gave her access to as his spouse. Why did she have to be so sentimental and hope for love like some taudry heroin in a cheesy romance novel?

Love between married higher class members of magical society was rare and sometimes it developed over time. But right off the start in an arranged marriage? No, it wasn't often a husband and wife cared for each other as lovers. His parents were actually an exception to the usual norm; Walburga and Orion Black loved each other very much and were allowed to marry.

The fact that they were cousins was completely ignored by their parents; knowing his family it was probably a good thing though. Regulus thought his father must have fallen for his mother before she became an overbearing, volatile shrew from the seventh level of Hades and the man died so young to avoid being with her any longer when she turned into a blood sucking demoness.

Narcissa pulling away and giving him a watery smile let him know that their hugging time was over. Within a minute, and after she cast a few subtle Glamour Charms, his dear cousin was back in the role of Lady Malfoy, looking perfectly put together and pristine. Regulus followed suit; his face falling back into its customary unreadable expression as he followed the lithe blonde woman through the halls of Malfoy Manor.

He looked around, once again taking in the overdramatic displays of wealth and privilege; it was a little nauseating to look at so much gilded furniture but if the Malfoys were one thing it was showy. One only had to look around the place and they would see that. Regulus didn't like to sport his wealth so overtly.

The Black heir liked his creature comforts but he found he enjoyed living in a smaller house full of comfortable well-made furniture, much like his and Severus' house in The Vosges. Now that he thought about it he had no issue with staying in that house once his mother finally departed this plain to return to the fires from whence she was spawned.

Plus, it was the first home he and Severus ever lived in together and it had some good memories attached to it. The Black heir was reluctant to leave it and return to Grimmauld Place, which was the traditional home for the Lord Black to live in. Then again Regulus was anything but traditional at this point. He was gay and pretty open about it and he was being happily fucked out of his mind by a half-blooded man.

Yes, not exactly behavior the someday Lord Black should be exhibiting but Regulus didn't care what anyone thought of him, or his choices, anymore. He'd already let someone else dictate his life. He'd already allowed his mother to cow him into trying to be something he wasn't' and look what happened! He became a fucking Death Eater for Merlin's sake!

He didn't realize he was already sitting down and sipping tea until the scalding liquid hit his tongue. Salazar! He really was lost in his own mind today. It simply wouldn't do to not pay attention at this point in time. While he sipped his tea, which was perfectly prepared as was to be expected at Malfoy Manor, Regulus focused on getting his thoughts and words together.

He'd had vague ideas of what to say and how to say it but when he'd stepped out of the floo and seen his upset cousin a whole new set of strategies came into his mind. Setting the cup down he decided to be blunt with Cissa. She wasn't exactly the sharpest dagger in the sheath so innuendo and elusions would be mostly lost on her. Yes, in this situation it was best to follow one of his original plans.

Drawing his wand he quickly cast several strong Privacy Wards and Anti-Eavesdropping Charms. His cousin watched him in growing confusion but one look from Regulus' sharp eyes had her holding her tongue until he finished; "Narcissa, how do you feel about Lucius being a Death Eater?" His pretty relation choked on her tea and coughed in a quite unladylike fashion into her lace handkerchief.

After clearing her throat Narcissa looked at Regulus sharply, examining him carefully. He couldn't forget that while the woman in front of him wasn't the quickest she wasn't a complete fool; she was a Slytherin in her time for a reason. Self-preservation would win out over all in the end and speaking out against the Dark Lord to a known Death Eater was tantamount to suicide.

"Why do you ask, cousin?" The Black heir sighed; "Cissy, I'm going to be honest and I'll hope you know if you repeat any of this I will be killed as will Severus." His last words caught her attention effectively; she'd always had a soft spot for his awkward Potions obsessed lover. "Whatever it is you need to say, Regulus, you know I will keep your confidence. You're family after all."

The raven vaguely nodded in agreement; he was family now but to save her skin or move up in the world she would throw him to the wovles with little hesitation. Pushing his morbid thoughts out of his head Regulus continued talking; "Recently I have changed my way of thinking. Narcissa. This madness with the Dark Lord cannot continue."

"He'll burn our world down in his crusade to eliminate the muggles. He mindlessly slaughters innocents and anyone who gets in his way. I also recently discovered a way to kill him. Don't ask why we can;t just Avada him Narcissa. I cannot tell you that information."

He totally ignored the strangled sound that came from his relative and continued on; "However, I need some help from you to be able to end his life. It seems Lucius has in his possession something I need to destroy to get rid of the Dark Lord. Now before you refuse me think about this; the longer my Master is free and alive the higher the risk of Lucius being caught by the Ministry becomes."

"You and I both know that if your husband is caught in a Death Eater's mask it will look terrible for your family's reputation. You'll be scorned from high society and who knows your vaults may even be seized. You'd be broke and your husband disgraced in Azkaban."

"I don't want to see my dear cousin in such a state so I have an offer for you. You, Cissy, will give me what I require and I will ensure you will never hurt for money should something happen to Lucius in the future. I think the sum of 100,000 galleons should be adequate; it was the amount of the dowry given to Lucius for your hand in marriage after all. "

Regulus finished his speech and sipped at his now tepid tea for something to do while his blonde cousin thought about his offer. Finally, she raised her blue eyes; "I want the money to be transferred into an account that only I can access and only you and I know of. If you promise that this will be done I help you get you what you require."

The Black heir nodded and stood; "It will be done by tomorrow evening. Now if I can have you take me to Lucius' private study, please." Narcissa rose form her chair and led him through yet more corridors until they came to two large, dark wood double doors. Here his cousin removed her wand form her sleeve and began to murmur a few select words in Latin; Regulus acted like he wasn't listening and it really didn't matter if he did overhear what was mumbled.

The wards on the door would only respond and open to the Lord or Lady's magical signature, seeing as Regulus was neither the doors would probably shock the hell out of him if he tried to breach them. When Cissy stopped speaking the door on the left clicked open and his cousin was stepping to the side to let him into another finely decorated room.

The Black heir moved to stand near the shelves of books behind Lucius' desk and closed his eyes while opening his senses. The grey eyed wizard was searching for the tainted feel that always seeped from the locket and eventually he honed in on it coming from the large desk in front of him and not the shelves behind him.

With a sigh he drew his wand and began to fiddle with the only drawer that was warded and locked up tight. Once he saw the thick spider web of wards covering the front of the drawer he sat down in Lucius' comfy chair and got to work breaking them. He was lucky these weren't like the ancient familial protections on the study door.

The wards on the desk were set by Lucius so they would bend and from what he could see if he accidently tripped one of the wards it wouldn't alert Lucius to someone trying to break in. Trust the Malfoy Lord to be arrogant enough to think his protections were absolute and unbreakable. Oh well his arrogance was Regulus' gain and he would not look a gift Hippogriff in the mouth and turn it away for being too old.

An hour later Regulus was still intermittently cackling hysterically from a vicious tickling hex, his hair was standing on end and his facial muscles were spasming from a powerful Shocking Curse and he had a bad burn on his wand hand from when he accidently tripped one of the wards defenses.

However, he finally had them all down and the Black heir was lucky that he hadn't tripped any of the more deadly traps within the wards; seriously Lucius weaved an extremely strong Entrails Expelling Curse inside his wards! Now to open the drawer and collect his prize; patience spent the grey eyes wizard opened the drawer and removed the book.

With a grimace Regulus slipped the evil little book into his robe pocket and stood to leave. Narcissa, who stayed by his side the whole time he'd torn down the wards, rose from her chair in front of Lucius' desk along with her cousin and moved to leave the room. Before they left the study she turned and addressed Regulus; "I expect the owl telling me that my money is in my new Gringotts account by tomorrow night by six o'clock. Is that clear? I've taken a big risk with this cousin and I will not be going down alone should this fail."

The Black heir nodded, not at all shocked by his cousin's words. Ah, a true Slytherin through and through; Regulus would do the same to almost anyone with the exception of Severus, of course. "Of course, Narcissa, I wouldn't of expected anything else from you." The blonde woman looked as if she didn't know whether to take her relation's words as a compliment or a critique and settled for giving the younger wizard a bland smile.

Just when he was about to speak to his cousin about Bellatrix an insane cackle was heard from down the hall, letting anyone within a fifty foot radius know that the very same insane witch that Regulus was about to speak of had arrived at Malfoy Manor. Narcissa's eyes widened and she quickly looked at Regulus; the raven immediately understood her concern.

It would not be good for Bella to find them in Lucius' study and being the vindictive bitch that Bellatrix was she would no doubt waste little time in ratting her own family out to the Malfoy Lord. Really the woman loved to start problems wherever she went, going so far as to bait people into reacting to her juvenile taunts.

It also didn't help that most of the people the Lestrange woman spent any time with were Death Eaters. Death Eaters were by their very nature endowed with little, to no, patience for folly or foolishness and often reacted violently when annoyed. Bella knew this and stirred the cauldron anytime she could.

Regulus, Severus, Lucius, Rabastan, and Rodolphus ignored the woman quite easily but the same could not be said for some of their other Death Eater colleagues. With a few quick waves of his wand and a couple murmured words Regulus' appearance was back to normal, with the exception of the remaining small tick over his right eye and the bandage on his hand that covered his burn.

He'd treat the injury when he returned home. Hopefully, Severus was there and his lover could assist him with cleansing and redressing his wound. Appearance again mostly flawless the two cousins left Lucius' office and moved toward Bella's location.

She was quite easy to find seeing as the insane woman was shrieking out a very lewd song often sang by sailors when they drank too much. Bella was never one for manners, even when she was saner. Once her feverish dark eyes saw her sister and her baby cousin she bounced over to them and gave each of them a crushing hug.

Regulus slipped out of her hold and made his excuses quickly; he had no desire to spend time with his nutty cousin and his business with Narcissa was completed for now so there was no need for him to stay.

Plus, he wanted to get his acquisition out of Malfoy Manor and back to his house so he could investigate it further. He wondered if it was like the locket or did it have different properties? No one knew much about Horcruxes, other than they were soul containers. Were they sentient in some way? Or was the soul inside dormant?

Truth be told he was afraid to open the locket and see what was inside; what if he unleashed that monster's soul shard into the world and it was able to interfere with the truly living? But the book in his hand seemed to be the better option for experimenting on; he'd seen Lucius handle the cursed item with no issues and Regulus himself touched the vile thing too and nothing horrid happened to either of them.

He'd discuss it with his lover at some point and get his thoughts on the topic. This was something that if they decided to move forward with he would want Severus there with him. It didn't seem wise to tinker with a Horcrux on your own, especially when one didn't know their capabilities and strengths.

And one could not forget this was no normal Horcrux but the Horcrux of the most evil man to have ever lived in their world, possibly even the muggle world as well. Surely, the Dark Lord's soul pieces would be even more cruel and horrible than anyone else's.

Not that many made Horcruxes to keep themselves grounded to the mortal realm. The Black heir shook his head in exasperation with his pointless thoughts about whose soul pieces were more evil. Right now he had two former, but still dangerous, Black women to evade.

With another fake smile to his cousins he made his excuses once again and ignored Bella cooing at him to stay and have fun with them like old times. Like old times? Ah yes as much as he would love to stay and watch his cousin torture Lucius' white peacocks he had other more important things to do elsewhere, like breathe.

Regulus' smile turned regretful and he once again bid his family members goodbye and escaped to the Receiving Room he'd arrived in and swiftly went through the measures of getting the hell out of there. As he was swept away in the writhing green flames he caught a glimpse of Lucius apparating into the room Regulus just left; it seemed his exit was perfectly timed.

The raven stepped into their living room and immediately sought out his older lover, finding him in his lab. Why he ever looked anywhere else was a mystery to Regulus when the man he adored was always either with him or squirrelled away in his lab.

When he walked into the lab Severus' dark eyes lifted and took in Regulus' appearance and immediately zoomed in on the younger's injured hand; "What happened to you, Regulus? Did Narcissa try to hurt you." Regulus just stared blankly at his lover, silently communicating that that was a very stupid question.

Severus, evidently caught onto what the Black was thinking and rolled his eyes; "What? It was a valid question. You went to visit Narcissa and you come home with an injury on your hand. It is a logical conclusion to jump to." Regulus conceded that his lover had a point, not that he was going to tell the smug looking bastard that.

With a sigh of mock irritation he raised his bandaged hand and pouted, quite cutely if he could say so himself at Severus and whined; "Fix it, Severus! It hurts!" The older wizard smiled indulgently at his whiny lover and stood to collect his first aid supplies; "You know, Reg, this little pouty act isn't considered cute when you're over the age of seventeen."

The grey eyed teen rolled his eyes and continued pouting until his lover came over and began to work on his burned hand. When those onyx eyes saw his burnt flesh they widened and the movements to patch up Regulus' damaged appendage became gentler; "Love, why didn't you tell me it was burned this badly?"

The younger male shrugged; "I cast a strong Numbing Charm on it when I bandaged it at the Manor so I really can't feel much around the area of the burn." Severus nodded; "That was probably for the best. If you could feel it right now you would be in a lot of pain."

"I would say this is a second degree burn and if you weren't a wizard with access to magic it would scar badly and possible interfere with the motor function of your hand if it were to get infected. Luckily, we are magic and I can fix this right up in a few minutes. Now stay still and stop pouting." Regulus smiled, sat down on top of the work table next to him and pressed a kiss to his partner's lips before letting the older of the two fix him up.

Once the injury was healed but tender the Black heir stood and retrieved the book from his robe pocket, showing it to his still seated lover proudly. "I got the Horcrux!" Those onyx eyes widened and with lightning fast movements Severus snatched the cursed thing out of Regulus' hand.

Together they began to poke and prod the book or Regulus could call it a diary. That was what the little book was and it had the name Tom Marvolo Riddle etched into the back in gold. Who was Tom Riddle anyway? Was it one of the Dark Lord's victims? Or one of his followers?

Either was possible; some research was in order on that front. Any information in dealing with the Dark lord was good information. The man known as his Master was secretive and aloof, never giving away anything more than he had to. But now the two former Death Eaters had a lead to check out and hopefully this Tom Riddle fellow would help them take down the Dark Lord once and for all.

After examining the diary for half an hour the two decided to set it aside to experiment with later. Regulus really needed to start writing the letter to Gringotts to set up Narcissa's promised account. He didn't want to think about what Narcissa would do if the galleons weren't where they were supposed to be tomorrow at six o'clock.

With a sigh he kissed his lover on the cheek and explained what he had to do for Narcissa. Severus merely listened and once Regulus was done talking the older man nodded since he had nothing to add or comment on and went back to his potions. The younger wizard took the diary and his letter and exited his partner's domain so he could get on with his business.

Maybe he'd mention committing Bella to St. Mungo's in his letter to his blonde cousin when he wrote to her, giving her the details on her brand new account with Gringotts. It would be the best time; Regulus planned on warding that letter to the teeth so only Narcissa could read it and he really wanted Bellatrix committed.

After seeing her today Regulus could see that she was continuously sinking further and further into madness. It was only a matter of time before she was caught by the Aurors tormenting someone. Once that happened she would be shipped off to Azkaban and there would be little to nothing Regulus could do to save her.

It was best to act now while they still had choices available to them. St. Mungo's was a way better option than Azkaban. At least at the hospital Bella would get treated humanely while the Mind Healers worked their magic, literally.

With little preamble the Black heir plopped down at his desk in the library and began to write his letter...

~*~*~*Time Skip~*~*~*

Regulus ran into their bedroom where Severus was sleeping soundly after his fifteen hour brewing session the night before with a piece of parchment fluttering in his hand. His goblin finally located something they needed! The moment the raven haired wizard read that piece of information he'd quickly traversed their house and made his way to their room.

With little thought to how grumpy his lover would be Regulus jumped on the bed and straddled Severus' lower abdomen, bouncing up and down until his lover opened his eyes in annoyance. "Regulus, what the hell do you want?! I've only just gotten to sleep a few hours ago..."

The Black heir cut his partner's grumbling rant off before it could really pick up speed; "My goblin found the Sulpuric Acid, Sev! He found it in London and I have the apparition coordinates right here." With a triumphant smile on his handsome face he pointed at the parchment in his hand. Severus quickly sat up, almost smashing his forehead into Regulus' as he did so, and snatched the paper out of the younger male's hand so he could read it himself.

"Reg, did you read the rest of the missive? Your manager not only gave us the coordinates but the schedule of the workers inside the lab and somehow they got the code for the alarm system. I must say I do love your goblin manager, Regulus, really I do." The grey eyed wizard smiled in relief at that news; at least they could begin to plan on when to raid the lab.

He wasn't quite sure what a code for the alarm system meant but he assumed it was like wards that only opened for someone's magical signature. He'd asked Severus about the specifics of alarm systems and codes later. Right now he was excited about the letter in his hand; they were making progress and soon the Acid would be in their possession and hopefully the Horcruxes would no longer be in existence.

The Black heir happily scooted off Severus' lap and began to undress himself so he could lay down with his love. Once the letter was placed on the nightstand and he was stripped down to his underwear the younger wizard slipped under the warm covers and snuggled onto his dozing partner's side.

The older sleepily wrapped an arm around Regulus' lithe back and held him close. The smaller nuzzled in and easily slipped into a doze; maybe things were stressing him out a lot more than he realized if he was able to fall asleep so easily at one in the afternoon.

Well at least he was getting the much needed rest now and once he was awake he would use his newly gotten energy to ride Severus into the mattress. Now that was a plan he could get on, literally. With a silly grin plastered on his sculpted face his conscious mind finally shut down and Regulus slipped into sleep's welcoming embrace.

_**How the hell did this get to be over 4,000 words? Damn me and my irresistible ability to be overly specific and clear when I'm detailing a scene! Argh anyway due to the already long length and time constraints I decided to publish this now since I wanted to give you guys something to chew on.**_

_**Next chapter we will have out raid on the muggle lab and I promise...hopefully...that we will destroy one Horcrux! **_

_**Also, Dumbledore and the Order will be making an appearance too in the coming chapters since we haven't heard from them in a little bit. **_

_**Oh and Bella gets committed soon! Seriously, how did she not get thrown in the mental ward before she tortured the Longbottoms to insanity? Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this latest update!**_

_**As Always All Mistakes Are My Own!**_


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